Holly Willoughby plot accused ‘disgusted’ at previous kidnap attempts

Gavin Plumb has previous convictions for attempted kidnap and false imprisonment.

Gavin Plumb said he was ‘disgusted’ by his previous behaviour (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Archive)

A security guard accused of plotting to abduct, rape and murder Holly Willoughby has told a jury he is “disgusted” by his previous attempts to kidnap and falsely imprison women.

Chelmsford Crown Court has been told of Gavin Plumb’s two previous convictions for attempted kidnap in 2006 and another two offences of false imprisonment committed in 2008.

He said he had a “stewardess fantasy” at the time he tried to force two air hostesses to get off a train in the space of three days in August 2006.

I’m disgusted by my previous behaviour

Gavin Plumb

Plumb was handed a term of imprisonment of 12 months, suspended for two years, with supervision and activity requirements for his two kidnap attempts, and was jailed for 32 months for the false imprisonment offences.

The 37-year-old claimed his offences were a “cry for help” as he “needed to get out” of a toxic relationship.

Asked by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC what it felt like “when you put that tape around the wrists of that girl” in a shop in 2008, Plumb replied: “I was scared.”

He said “yes” when asked if he looked at the 16-year-old’s face and said “she was scared”, but replied “no” when asked: “Did you stop when you saw she was terrified?”

When Ms Morgan suggested his “target” was to sexually assault the girl, the defendant said: “My target was to get caught and get out of the toxic relationship.”

Plumb said: “I’m disgusted by my previous behaviour.”

Questioned on why he had attempted to kidnap the first air hostess, with the threat of a note which said he would shoot her, defence barrister Sasha Wass KC said: “What was going through your mind when you wrote those notes?”

Plumb said: “For me it was my only option – being in the relationship I was in, it was toxic – I was extremely young and I needed to get out.”

Ms Wass went on: “How did you think sending a note like that to a female on a train was getting you out of your relationship?”

The defendant said: “It was going to get me caught. It was going to get me incarcerated.”

Questioned about what had been going through his mind when he attempted to falsely imprison two 16-year-olds, Plumb said: “I just needed a way out of the relationship (with his ex-partner), knowing it worked the first time.

“I thought I would try something really big again to get away from the relationship.”