Man accused of Holly Willoughby kidnap plot too ‘overweight’ to get over wall at her home, court hears
27 June 2024, 14:00
A man accused of masterminding a plot to kidnap, rape and kill Holly Willoughby would have been too ‘overweight’ to succeed, his lawyers told a trial today.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Gavin Plumb’s defence lawyer suggested he would not have been able to carry out his alleged plot to kidnap the TV presenter because he would not have been able to leap over the outer wall of her home.
During cross-examination at Chelmsford Crown Court, Sasha Wass KC, defending, asked an undercover police officer who messaged the 37-year-old online if he had ‘re-evaluated the credibility of his plan’ having been sent a video from him.
She said: “You are looking at a picture of a man who's significantly overweight.
“Knowing what he looked like and the state of his dimensions, did that plan - or what was said about that plan: jumping the outer wall - cause you to re-evaluate the credibility of this plan?"
The officer replied: "No, it did not."
In evidence, the US-based officer, with the alias David Nelson, told the court he’d approached Plumb in an online group called ‘Abduct Lovers’ because he believed there was an “imminent threat” to Holly Willoughby.
He led him to believe he’d be happy to travel from New York to London to help in the plan to “ambush” the TV presenter, after being sent details of her address and car.
The undercover officer said the defendant, from Harlow, had sent him what appeared to be Willoughby’s address and details about the car she drove.
He claimed a picture of an “abduction kit” was also shared with him, alongside a photo of chloroform which it’s alleged Mr Plumb was planning to use in his kidnap attempt.
“Earlier in the conversation he had indicated he had chloroform," he told the court.
“It was not present in that photo of his abduction kit - I asked where the chloroform was, and he sent a picture of chloroform."
Plumb was arrested in October last year after the undercover officer, based with the Owatonna Police Department in Minnesota, said he found the information he’d gathered “quite alarming”.
David Nelson also told the jury he’d shared a flight confirmation with Gavin Plumb "to show him that I was willing to accomplice him in this act".
He then shared the information with the FBI and Metropolitan Police.
The judge said the officer, who appeared by video-link but with no image displayed, is involved in "several ongoing investigations" that are not connected to the defendant.
Mr Justice Edward Murray told jurors they "must not hold this, the fact it's being done in this way (anonymously via video-link), against the defendant in any way".
Mr Plumb is accused of attempting to live out his "ultimate fantasy" and was described by the prosecution as someone who had an "obsession" with Ms Willoughby.
He denies soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap.
The trial continues.
