Holly Willoughby‘s tormentor planned her kidnap and murder on an online forum called Abduct Lovers, where deviants gather to share their vile fantasies.
Gavin Plumb, 37, shared four photos of Ms Willoughby alongside the caption ‘The one in the public eye that I want’, prompting a US-based undercover police officer who was monitoring the group to send him a private message.
The officer, who uses the pseudonym David Nelson, said that up to 50 individuals could be in Abduct Lovers at any time. The group is on Kik, a free app similar to WhatsApp that allows users to stay anonymous.
Now a search of Plumb’s social media history has revealed the depths of his depravity – showing how he was obsessed with Holly Willoughby years before he plotted to try and kidnap, rape and murder the celebrity.
Morbidly obese Plumb was still a member of the Abduct Lovers group, nine months after his arrest – and his account still has not been taken down from Kik.
Gavin Plumb, 37, sends a video selfie to an undercover policeman he met on the ‘Abduct Lovers’ Internet forum
Obsessed Plumb called himself ‘Big Bear’ and used a photo of Holly Willoughby in pyjamas – taken from the TV presenter’s lifestyle brand Instagram account, Wylde Moon – as his profile picture
Pictured is the ‘Abduct lovers’ group Plumb was a member of and would go on to discuss how he wanted to kidnap, rape and murder Ms Willoughby
The wannabe-killer had set up the profile in November 2022, 11 months before he was arrested. Calling himself ‘Big Bear’, he even used a picture of Ms Willoughby in pyjamas – taken from the TV presenter’s lifestyle brand Instagram account, Wylde Moon.
But Plumb’s public obsession with Ms Willoughby went beyond the Abduct Lovers group.
He was also an admin of another public Kik group where its 50 members would post pictures of Ms Willoughby and talk about her, sometimes in a graphic and sexual way.
A message in the group declared it was for ‘real fans’ of the TV star and that ‘ONLY Holly chat and pics are allowed’, Sky News reports.
And archived records of his account on the now-defunct social media platform Google Plus showed he posted at least seven times under his real name in 2014 – with all but one post being of a sexual nature and mentioning Willoughby.
During Plumb’s trial, undercover cop Mr Nelson told Chelmsford Crown Court about the 37-year-old’s activity online and said the Abduct Lovers.
The officer’s role involves handling online investigations across various social media applications and he came across the group because of its name.
Screenshots of the Holly Willoughby Fans Kik group show that Plumb was the admin
Archived records of his account on the now-defunct social media platform Google Plus showed he posted at least seven times under his real name in 2014 – with all but one post being of a sexual nature and mentioning Willoughby
Plumb is pictured being arrested by Essex Police who raided his home following a tip by an undercover American police officer
He described Plumb’s posts as ‘not typical’, saying: ‘There are messages on Abduct Lovers that are more like fantasy and it’s rare for an individual to post information of this type.’
Mr Nelson said he messaged Plumb to try and work out whether he was genuine or just a fantasist.
Plumb said in response: ‘I have a s***load of information on her. I know when she does and doesn’t have security and doesn’t have CCTV at home. When she gets up in the morning.’
The officer said this reply made him believe there was an ‘imminent threat’ to Ms Willoughby.
A short way into the online conversation, which took place on October 3 last year, the officer asked: ‘I don’t want to ask too much but I’m coming out there, can you send me something so I know you’re real.’
Plumb responded by sending a selfie but because it could have come from a stock photo the officer asked for live video.
The defendant sent footage of himself stating the date and saying the day’s date and ‘Holly’.
A topless Plumb in handcuffs after being arrested by police on October 4
Plumb was later pictured in a police mug shot following his arrest by cops
Plumb said he spent most of his life on the Internet inside his messy Harlow flat
The security guard’s trial heard he had previous convictions for trying to kidnap women, in 2006 on a train and two years later at a Woolworths.
Plumb said when he was released from prison in 2010, he spent ‘99.9%’ of his time online.
He said: ‘If I wasn’t on the (game) console, I would be on the phone, and if I wasn’t on the phone, I would be on the console.’
The defendant also said he would communicate with others on ‘fantasy’ chatrooms between 2010 and 2013.
Defence barrister Sasha Wass KC asked: ‘What sort of fantasy sites would you involve yourself with?’
‘It was all clean, it was all fantasy chat,’ Plumb said. ‘It would vary… people we knew, people we didn’t know.’
Ms Wass continued: ‘What would you fantasise about?’
‘It was having sex with certain people, people who were brought up in chats and stuff like that.’
The 37-year-old kept hundreds of photos of Ms Willoughby on his phone, three of which were shown to the jury
Further questioned about this, he said: ‘People from different chatrooms that were posted and then celebrities.’
Asked if Ms Willoughby was ‘on your radar’ at the time, he said she ‘would have been – I was at home all the time watching daytime telly’.
Plumb said he developed an obsession with the TV presenter and would think about her ‘up to six’ times a day.
Following his conviction, Ms Willoughby has since spoken out and praised the undercover police officer for exposing Plumb’s plot.
She said: ‘As women we should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes. I will forever be grateful to the undercover police officer who understood the imminent threat, and to the Metropolitan and Essex police forces for their swift response.
‘Thank you to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Rt Hon Mr Justice Murray, Alison Morgan KC, the members of the jury and all involved in this case for ensuring that justice was done and that the defendant will not be able to harm any more women.
‘I would also like to commend the bravery of his previous victims for speaking up at the time. Without their bravery this conviction may not have been possible.’
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