Marrakesh – In a courtroom bombshell, it was revealed that a security guard allegedly involved in a plot to kidnap, rape and murder television personality Holly Willoughby possessed an extensive collection of celebrity photographs, numbering in the millions.
The suspect, Gavin Plumb, aged 37, was apprehended on October 4 of last year following his detailed disclosure of purported plans to an undercover officer from US law enforcement.
According to Sky News, Detective Constable Will Belsham of Essex Police informed the Chelmsford Crown Court that the volume of data on Plumb’s mobile phone as well as other devices was so vast that investigators could only review approximately 10% of it.
“Yes, they were in the millions,” confirmed DC Belsham.
The collection contained a large number of images of Willoughby and other celebrities. The investigators had to implement a filtering process to manage and analyze the data.
He added that officers also discovered over 1,000 pages of internet history, which included the Google search query: “How to meet people who kidnap celebrities?”
Plumb, hailing from Harlow in Essex, has pleaded not guilty to charges of soliciting murder, incitement to kidnap, and incitement to rape, spanning from December 2021 to October of last year.
The jury previously heard that he exhibited an “obsession” with Willoughby and purportedly devised “graphic” and “sexually motivated” schemes involving her abduction, repeated sexual assault, and murder.
The court has been informed that Plumb has prior convictions for attempting to abduct two women on trains and for kidnapping two 16-year-old girls using a knife, one of whom had her hands bound behind her back.
Plumb allegedly attempted to enlist accomplices online to assist in executing his plan to assault Willoughby at her residence.
According to court testimony, his discussions involved plans to incapacitate her and her husband, television producer Dan Baldwin, with chloroform, before restraining them, abducting Willoughby, and fatally injuring her by cutting her throat.
Willoughby, who is not present at the trial, has chosen to waive her automatic right to anonymity, a protection afforded to all alleged victims of sexual offenses or related charges.
