Security Guard’s Chilling Past Revealed in Holly Willoughby Kidnap Plot Trial
A shopping centre security officer on trial for allegedly plotting to kidnap, rape, and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby had a terrifying criminal history, a court heard today.
Failed Abduction Attempts on Public Transport
At Chelmsford Crown Court, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC exposed the dark past of 43-year-old Gavin Plumb. Years before the alleged plot against Holly Willoughby, Plumb made multiple failed kidnap attempts targeting women on trains and in public.
On August 14, 2006, Plumb reportedly sat opposite a 16-year-old girl on a train and showed her a threatening note claiming he had a gun. The note demanded she get off the train at the next stop with him quietly, or he would shoot himself and others.
“The victim was terrified and began to cry. Other passengers intervened, forcing the defendant to tear up the note and flee the train at the next stop,” Ms Morgan told the jury.
Two days later, he tried a similar trick with another woman. This time, Plumb brandished an imitation firearm and claimed to be a police officer, trying to force her off the train. She resisted and reported the incident to police.
Knife Threat and Tying Up a Teen Girl
Two years later, Plumb’s violence escalated. He approached two 16-year-old girls in a shop in Harlow, Essex, demanding they go to the back of a stockroom.
Holding a knife, he ordered them to put their hands behind their backs. He then tied the hands of one girl with rope and tape, but the other managed to escape and call for help.
Both girls were left terrified.
Damning Evidence and Real Offences
Prosecutor Ms Morgan highlighted that Plumb’s previous offences were not fantasies but real and brutal attacks involving weapons, ropes, and threatening notes.
“The defendant knew what it would take to terrify and overpower a woman. These were deliberate crimes, not just dark thoughts.”
Police found Plumb in possession of an imitation firearm, rope ligatures, and threatening notes intended to coerce victims.
Plumb Denies Holly Willoughby Plot
Plumb denies all allegations of planning to kidnap, rape, and murder Holly Willoughby. The TV presenter has waived her right to anonymity regarding a linked accusation of Plumb assisting or encouraging rape.
The trial continues as the court weighs the chilling past against the current charges.
