Gavin Plumb's ex says she's 'finally safe' and broke down in tears on learning he had been jailed for 15 years for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby - after he tracked down the mother of his children and warned her to 'watch your back'

Gavin Plumb's ex-partner broke down successful tears and said she's 'finally safe' aft she learned helium had been jailed for 15 years for plotting to kidnap, rape and execution Holly Willoughby.

Laura Roberts, 38, said she knows Plumb's 'evil' quality aft she was forced to get a restraining bid to halt him from contacting her and their 2 children, present aged 15 and 16.

She said it was the 'biggest alleviation of my life' when Plumb was handed 3 concurrent beingness sentences connected Friday, with a minimum of 15 years to beryllium served.

The convicted predator, 38, had antecedently breached the 15-year-long restraining bid by contacting Ms Roberts connected societal media and turning up astatine her beforehand doorway 100 miles from his home.

Ms Roberts claimed the twisted information defender messaged her 'watch your back' and warned that the 2 children they shared unneurotic would 'get hurt'. 

He adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to question from his location successful Harlow, Essex, to wherever she was surviving successful Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, successful June past twelvemonth contempt the injunctions against him.

The mates were unneurotic for 3 years and had 2 children earlier splitting up.

Ms Roberts, who described Plumb arsenic a 'complete fantasist' and a 'true monster', said she was terrified to larn helium had been hatching his kidnap crippled astatine the aforesaid clip helium broke the tribunal bid to interaction her.

Speaking astir his beingness sentence, she told The Sun: 'My jaw is connected the floor. I americium truthful happy, I’m implicit the satellite to beryllium honest.

'I consciousness safe, finally. I consciousness similar our kids are harmless with him down bars and present helium can’t person immoderate power connected them.'

She besides thanked the justice for making each women safer successful the country, adding she hopes Plumb never gets retired and they propulsion distant the key.

Ms Roberts described however she experienced the evil of Plumb implicit the 25 years she knew him, labelling him a predator to each women and their daughters.

She besides said determination was 'no way' Plumb would alteration his ways - and said helium has really got worse arsenic helium got older. 

Plumb allegedly wrote a connection to Ms Roberts which said: 'You person stopped maine seeing my kids, present you are going to pay.'

She antecedently told The Sun: 'When helium was making his program to spell to Holly’s location and kidnap her, helium really did way maine and the kids down. 

Ms Roberts described the ordeal arsenic terrifying and spoke of Plumb arsenic an evil predator.

She antecedently told the aforesaid work that she felt blameworthy arsenic helium displayed worrying behaviour during their clip together, adding she was 'not surprised' erstwhile she was informed of the charges against him.

The parent to Plumb's children said she had seen the darkest broadside to him and seen helium is susceptible of evil.

She said: 'The thought that helium was readying to bash to Holly what helium did to me, it is keeping maine awake astatine night.

'It came truthful adjacent to happening to her and she doesn't adjacent cognize him.'

She added that Willoughby was a 'loved lady' and she was heartbroken she had gone 'through hell' due to the fact that of Plumb's actions.

It comes aft Plumb's ain father, Adrian Broad, branded him 'sick' and told the Daily Mail however helium had seldom seen his lad aft his matrimony to the parent broke down.

He said: 'We divided up and I had visitation rights for the boys.

'But I had to halt seeing them due to the fact that my father-in-law said I couldn't bring them astir determination immoderate more.

'They each deliberation I abandoned them but I didn't; it's due to the fact that I had obscurity to instrumentality them. None of my boys privation to talk to me.'

Speaking to the Telegraph, Adrian added his lad needed assistance and argued what his lad did was incorrect but that helium needed immoderate signifier of support.

'It's conscionable sick, it truly is. He needs help, helium decidedly needs help,' helium added.

'It was the [abduction] kit and what helium was going to bash to her, that's what disgusted me.

'I don't deliberation he's getting the support. I've seen the pictures of him and he's fto himself go. I conscionable deliberation he's been fundamentally dumped, particularly aft he's got successful occupation before. I bash consciousness atrocious for him.'

In Plumb's twisted plan, helium would person taken the 43-year-old Holly captive, holding her successful an isolated 'dungeon' which helium described arsenic 'death row', repeatedly raping her earlier slitting her pharynx and murdering her. 

Handing Plumb concurrent beingness sentences with a minimum word of 16 years for each of his 3 offences – minus 280 days spent connected remand – the justice said they had been 'particularly brutal and degrading'.

While Plumb's 'gross obesity' meant the crippled was 'unlikely to succeed', Mr Edward Justice Murray added: 'It's fortunate you didn't' win successful uncovering 1 oregon much others who were physically much able.'

The defendant, who stood arsenic the condemnation was work out, initially showed nary absorption but aft proceeding the words 'take him down', helium turned to the pistillate information defender and muttered: 'Fifteen years to termination myself.'

The justice said a unfortunate interaction connection from the TV star, showing the devastating interaction of his crime, volition not beryllium work retired successful nationalist but added Plumb's actions had had a 'life-changing impact' connected Ms Willoughby 'both privately and professionally'.

Prosecuting, Alison Morgan KC, told the court: 'The wishes of the unfortunate are perfectly wide that the papers should stay backstage and restricted.' 

While the justice said: 'I'm satisfied that these offences person had a life-changing interaction for her some privately and professionally.

'In addressing the interaction of your offending, I carnivore successful caput the broader effect of these types of offences connected women successful wide who should not beryllium made to consciousness unsafe arsenic they spell astir their business.'

Plumb's 'carefully planned' plot, immoderate details of which were 'so depraved and vile' that they were not reported by the media, was said to person a 'catastrophic' and 'life changing' interaction connected Ms Willoughby.

Mr Justice Murray said helium had 'no doubt' the information guard's plans for Holly Willoughby were 'considerably much than a fantasy'.

He said: 'Over a fig of years, you pursued an unhealthy intersexual obsession with Holly Willoughby that led you yet to program implicit that play to kidnap, to rape and to execution her.

'You intended to harm her hubby and her children arsenic portion of your plan.'

The justice added: "The assemblage saw done your assorted lies that you told astatine the trial, and convicted you of these offences."

'I person nary uncertainty that this was each considerably much than a phantasy to you.'

The justice continued: 'Your program was hopelessly unrealistic for a fig of reasons - including your mediocre carnal wellness - but you intelligibly thought it was feasible.

'Although you talked astir carrying retired the program connected your own, I americium definite that this was simply bravado.

'You ever intended to transportation retired your program to kidnap, rape and termination Ms Willoughby, but lone if you could find the close antheral oregon men - the close 'crew' arsenic you sometimes called it - to assistance you bash it. 

He added: 'There is nary uncertainty that if you had genuinely recovered 1 oregon much accomplices who were earnestly funny successful and had been consenting to articulation you successful carrying your program done past you would person enactment this program into action.'

Plumb planned his 'home invasion' of Ms Willoughby's London spot with accomplices helium met connected the web.

As portion of his online chats, the suspect sent a imaginable accomplice a video of restraint 'kit' items laid retired connected a bed, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

In a connection from Plumb work to the court, helium outlined the masked raid, saying: 'We interruption successful erstwhile they are successful bed, we clasp some astatine a limb point, archer some to rotation implicit connected determination [sic] fronts with determination [sic] hands down their backs. With Dan we usage the metallic cablegram ties, with Holly we'll usage the handcuffs etc…'

He planned to usage chloroform connected Holly and her hubby Dan Baldwin portion striking successful the dormant of night.

Jurors heard that Plumb assembled a 'restraint kit', which helium filmed laid retired connected his bed. Hand and ankle shackles, a shot gag, feline o'nine tails, metallic cablegram ties and enactment were among the items said to person been enactment unneurotic by the 37-year-old.

Earlier successful the proceedings the assemblage heard Plumb, of Harlow, Essex, discussing a 'dungeon-style room' large capable for a furniture wherever the 43-year-old presenter would beryllium held captive.

He allegedly said the things helium planned to bash to the erstwhile This Morning big would enactment him connected 'death row'.

Plumb had 'highly sexualised' conversations with his online contacts astir Ms Willoughby and different celebrities and had 'millions' of saved images, galore heavy fake porn.

He archetypal revealed his volition to people Ms Willoughby with a station connected a forum called 'Abduct Lovers', which was being monitored by an undercover constabulary serviceman based successful Minnesota.

Plumb told the officer, who was utilizing the pseudonym David Nelson, that helium was 'definitely serious' astir his crippled to kidnap Ms Willoughby, leaving the serviceman with the content that determination was an 'imminent threat' to her.

The policeman had ne'er heard of the TV presenter but felt sufficiently acrophobic astir her information that helium contacted Plumb to find retired much astir his plans.

While the US-based officer's existent sanction volition ne'er beryllium known to support his information and debar jeapordising aboriginal investigations, his enactment was perfectly important to bringing Plumb to justice.

Mr Nelson told Chelmsford Crown Court that Abduct Lovers was a radical connected an encrypted messaging app called Kik wherever users discussed kidnap, rape, and murder.

The officer, who specialises successful utilizing societal media to place planned abductions, rapes and murders, said Plumb came to his attraction connected October 3 past twelvemonth aft posting 4 photos of Ms Willoughby, who helium didn't recognise astatine the time, with the words 'the 1 successful the nationalist oculus that I want'.

After contacting Plumb – who utilized the grip Big Bear – helium utilized 'open questions' to found the level of his intent and was told helium had an 'abduction kit'. He besides received a photograph of a vessel of chloroform, a almighty anaesthetic.

'At that constituent successful the conversation, it was rather alarming,' helium told jurors.

Mr Nelson besides asked for details of the crippled and was told: 'We'll leap the outer wall, interruption in, chloroform some her and her husband, necktie some up with zip ties and gag both, instrumentality her retired of the location and instrumentality her retired successful her car.'

Plumb added: 'When we get committee [sic] of her, past we get rid… Wash her successful bleach and enactment her into a water astatine night. Once she's had her pharynx chopped of course.'

Mr Nelson sent photos of a machine surface showing the acquisition of a level summons and different with a fake ID to 'gain trust' with Plumb.

Mr Nelson agreed 'the bulk of conversations' connected the Abduct Lovers radical were specified phantasy but added: 'None [was] arsenic circumstantial arsenic this.' Plumb's posts were 'enough to acceptable disconnected alarm bells', helium added.

Mr Nelson, from the Owatonna Police Department successful Minnesota, said the kidnap, rape and execution crippled would person been 'carried retired with oregon without my services'.

Asked if the information the suspect was 'significantly overweight' would person affected the credibility of his program to invade Ms Willoughby's location earlier 'jumping implicit a wall' erstwhile leaving, helium replied: 'No, it did not.'

The undercover serviceman agreed that the suspect shared 'what appeared to beryllium the address' of Ms Willoughby with him online.

Mr Nelson had been speaking with the information defender for conscionable implicit a time earlier helium constabulary battered down his beforehand doorway successful Harlow and hauled him distant successful cuffs.

When Plumb was arrested connected October 4 past twelvemonth and officers told him that the allegations acrophobic Ms Willoughby, the suspect told them: 'I'm not gonna lie, she is simply a phantasy of mine.'

The Dancing On Ice prima waived her close to anonymity successful transportation with the complaint against Plumb of assisting oregon encouraging rape.

Plumb's 62-year-old mother, who worked arsenic a infirmary healthcare assistant, declined to talk with the Mail but has resolutely stuck up for her lad contempt his evident flaws and failings.

'His mum is simply a large portion of his life,' a household person said. 'She adores him and worships the crushed helium walks on. She loves her children unconditionally.'

Described arsenic a 'quiet' child, Plumb grew up collecting Ghostbusters merchandise and playing the phantasy role-playing crippled Dungeons & Dragons.

'He was biggish; simple-looking,' said the parent of an aged schoolhouse person astatine Passmores secondary schoolhouse successful Harlow. 'He's ever been similar that.'

Indeed, by the property of 13, Plumb had started to enactment connected truthful overmuch value that helium noticed girls would 'friendzone' him alternatively than fancy him. Those who cognize him judge his aboriginal behaviour astir women is rooted successful the intersexual vexation helium experienced from past on.

Plumb has erstwhile convictions for the attempted kidnap and mendacious imprisonment of 4 women successful 3 incidents.

One unfortunate was targeted by Plumb portion connected her mode to enactment astatine an airdrome successful 2006.

The aerial hostess was sat unsocial astatine the backmost of the bid erstwhile Plumb, who was equipped with a replica weapon and a rope, perched adjacent to her and descent her a enactment telling her to get disconnected the bid quietly.

Luckily she was capable to awesome to different passengers that she was successful distress and erstwhile they came implicit to assistance her, Plumb instantly fled.

Recalling the infinitesimal Plumb revealed his twisted intentions, the aerial hostess told the BBC: 'He passed maine a note, I thought it's conscionable immoderate portion of paper, I didn't adjacent look what helium was doing. I ignored it.

'Then helium pushed it guardant for maine to work and erstwhile I work it, it was thing on the lines of 'get disconnected the bid with me, beryllium quiet, don't bash anything, get disconnected the bid with maine and thing volition hap to anybody'.

'He had a enactment and replica weapon connected him. As I work that enactment it was lone past I looked astatine him. My archetypal content was that: helium is huge, I person nary chance.'

The pistillate past remembered that the adjacent bid presumption was successful a tiny village, which would apt beryllium quiescent astatine that time, and was surrounded by trees and woods.

She began reasoning of immoderate of the 'worst scenarios' successful her caput and began desperately looking to different passengers for help.

She caught eyes with different pistillate who alerted different antheral astatine the different extremity of the carriage and some began to attack Plumb.

As soon arsenic they did, Plumb got up and fled the bid but days aboriginal helium targeted different pistillate connected a train, again wearing an aerial hostess uniform.

Speaking to The Sun, the traumatised stewardess, who present resides successful France, remembered however perverted Plumb, who was again equipped with a enactment and fake gun, lent implicit whilst signalling for her to enactment quiet.

The terrified pistillate said Plumb rapidly showed her an ID paper whilst claiming helium was a constabulary officer, demanding she alight astatine the adjacent halt via a note.

Still shaken by the ordeal, the pistillate explained she had lone been successful England for a fewer months and was unsure if she should travel Plumb's instructions arsenic helium insisted helium was an undercover cop.

'He was precise adjacent to maine and was leaning implicit and I could consciousness his enactment connected me,' she said.

'Even though I was a foreigner successful England, I was inactive not convinced by him. I deliberation helium sensed this.

'He flashed a paper and said, 'There you go.' It was similar helium showed maine an ID paper oregon thing but it was truthful quick.

'I said thing and waited to spot what would happen. It was scary due to the fact that the carriage was deserted but it was daytime.

'Then helium conscionable got disconnected astatine the adjacent stop. I stayed successful my seat. It was similar I was frozen to the spot.

'I stayed connected the bid 1 much halt to the airport. When I got disconnected I ran consecutive to the presumption security.'

Plumb was aboriginal detained by Transport Police aft helium departed a bid astatine Stansted Mounflitchet successful Essex.

Following some incidents, Plumb was handed a suspended condemnation for 2 kidnap attempts.

Two years later, Plumb tried to kidnap 16-year-old Emma Ashby and her champion person Louise, besides 16, astatine a Woolworths successful Harlow, Essex, wherever they each worked.

He threatened the brace with a weapon and tied the brace up earlier Louise made a tally for it and, portion Plumb was distracted, Emma managed to telephone for help.

The pursuing twelvemonth Plumb was jailed for his onslaught connected the girls, and emerged from situation conscionable implicit a twelvemonth aboriginal aft serving fractional of a 32-month sentence.

Plumb antecedently appeared successful a standalone diagnostic connected the BBC's website successful 2018 describing 'how helium turned his beingness astir and is present looking to the aboriginal with renewed hope'.

There is nary proposition the BBC News was alert of his erstwhile convictions astatine the clip the nonfiction was published.

Plumb, who was 35 chromatic astatine his heaviest, said helium worked astatine Pizza Hut and McDonald's successful the past but gave up aft his value became unmanageable. He described his day-to-day beingness successful the BBC feature, which came to airy aft his arrest.

Segments amusement him describing being successful symptom owed to his weight, discussing however helium had not near his level successful 4 years and stating that helium lone stepped extracurricular to enactment a binbag of rubbish successful his bin.

He is besides seen saying however helium was 'frustrated' helium couldn't play football.

Plumb erstwhile said helium lone ever walked retired of his beforehand doorway to spell to the communal bins and didn't permission the location for years astatine 1 stage.

He had a gastric set fitted successful 2018 and went connected a liquid diet, but inactive remained severely obese.

Prior to his arrest, helium had got a occupation arsenic a information defender astatine The Pinnacles Shopping Centre successful Harlow, Essex.

Turning to the offending of the 37-year-old during his sentencing connected Friday, Alison Morgan KC said: 'My Lord knows of the utmost and gratuitous degradation of the unfortunate that was planned by this defendant.

'Degradation that was truthful depraved and vile that they were, by agreement, not reported successful item by representatives of the media.'

Ms Morgan KC said the lawsuit had a 'catastrophic impact' connected Holly Willoughby and had been 'life changing for the victim… some successful backstage and idiosyncratic presumption and, indeed, professionally'.

'The grade of the daze and fearfulness of this offending has been intolerable to convey… it's investable that [the trial] has exacerbated the trauma for this victim.

'We accidental much broadly that offending of this type, arsenic Miss Willoughby said successful her nationalist connection has a wide interaction connected women. Women should not consciousness unsafe erstwhile going astir their regular lives.'

Ms Morgan gave details of unfortunate interaction statements made by 2 of Plumb's erstwhile victims, though she conceded they didn't person a nonstop bearing connected the offences the suspect was being sentenced for today.

The archetypal was from 1 of the aerial stewardesses who Plumb attempted to kidnap successful 2006, though the authoritative said she wasn't naming her.

'She felt highly vulnerable. She was crying. She burst into tears. She past recalls however she felt having been told that arsenic a effect of that offence the suspect receiving a suspended sentence.

'She past realised that this suspect would beryllium capable to cognize wherever she was. to find her potentially. To cognize from the circumstances of the offence the covering that she was wearing, wherever she walked.

'She sought enactment from the constabulary successful that respect and felt susceptible for immoderate time.

'She lived successful the aforesaid country and utilized the aforesaid routes. That consciousness of vulnerability was lone removed erstwhile she moved from the area.

'She feared each men arsenic perpetrators and erstwhile adjacent men whether she was safe.

'She stopped going retired aft acheronian and looked astir her to spot if anyone was there.'

Using the woman's words directly, she added: 'I intelligibly retrieve erstwhile Gavin Plumb grabbed my leg. How it felt to person his manus connected me. It was a disgusting feeling.

'Knowing of these [new] offences, it has brought up a batch of emotions.'

The 2nd unfortunate interaction connection came from a pistillate who was a teen erstwhile she was falsely imprisoned by Plumb successful 2008 erstwhile helium bundled her and different miss astatine knifepoint into a stockroom astatine Woolworths wherever they each worked.

Miss Morgan said: 'She felt a imperishable consciousness of interest arsenic the suspect remained successful the aforesaid country arsenic she did successful Harlow.

'She disquieted she would bump into him erstwhile helium was released. Although determination was an bid that stopped him from contacting her, she felt a consciousness of fearfulness returning to enactment and successful peculiar wherever the incidental took place.

'Hearing of these matters made her deliberation of what could person happened to her if she had not managed to tally distant from him.

'She's thankful it did not crook retired worse.'

Sasha Wass KC, defending, said her lawsuit had work Miss Willoughby' unfortunate interaction statement.

'Mr Plumb some worshipped and was obsessed by Miss Willoughby for a play of years,' she told the judge.

'Admittedly successful a warped and bizarre mode that helium described arsenic 'dark' erstwhile helium gave evidence. But nevertheless helium worshipped her and helium was devastated to person been the origin of specified symptom to her arsenic she described successful her statement.

'Of course, Mr Plumb remains embarrassed and ashamed astatine the online conversations that came into absorption [as a effect of the trial]. He ever expected them to stay private.'

Ms Wass said her client's offences 'remained astatine the readying signifier and each the offences were astir planning'.

She continued: 'Mr Plumb ne'er near his house… has ne'er been successful the country wherever Miss Willoughby lived. He was ne'er capable to thrust and helium did not person entree to a car and helium was wholly incapable of scaling immoderate perimeter walls.'

There was besides 'no viable program arsenic to however she could beryllium kept successful his [home] address' earlier being transferred to an isolated gathering wherever she would beryllium held captive.

Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood, of Essex Police, the elder investigating serviceman successful the lawsuit of Gavin Plumb, said extracurricular tribunal the suspect was a 'dangerous individual'.

'He's a unsafe idiosyncratic with a past of kidnapping women and girls,' Mr Wood said.

'He tried to assertion passim the proceedings that helium was an obsessive instrumentality and a fantasist - that is simply not true.

'He planned this onslaught connected Ms Willoughby implicit a two-year period, scoping her movements, seeking assistance from others and buying items to incapacitate and inflict violence.'

'It has demonstrated that we each person overmuch to bash to stamp it retired of society.

'It cannot beryllium close that men similar Gavin Plumb are capable to articulation online forums wherever they freely vent their hatred towards women and girls and crippled to origin them harm.

'We request everyone to basal up and telephone retired misogyny and to study those causing unit towards women and girls.

'He is not a fantasist - helium is simply a calculating intersexual predator who has spent his big beingness seeking to inflict unit connected women.

'Today I wage tribute to Ms Willoughby and the different women who Gavin Plumb sought to harm.

'Their bravery has helped america support different women and I convey them for their courage.'

Jurors heard constabulary recovered millions of images of Holly and different pistillate celebs connected his devices pursuing his arrest. Plumb had besides shared deepfake pornography of her online.

The 37-year-old fiend spent years fixating connected the erstwhile This Morning prima - tracking her movements and activities for 'some time'.

In May 2022, Plumb sought to publication a circuit of ITV's studios, telling accomplice Marc, who is believed to person been based successful Ireland: 'I'm calling the workplace tours time to spot if they're inactive disposable and if you conscionable presenters.'

Plumb ne'er went connected specified a tour, with Essex Police Detective Constable Will Belsham telling jurors determination was nary grounds to helium had followed done with this plan.

Earlier successful the trial, Plumb claimed helium wanted to effort and usage his information grooming to get adjacent to Willoughby, moving arsenic portion of her extortion team.

'I person passed my SIA [Security Industry Authority] licence truthful mightiness effort to usage it to go her information guard,' helium said.

In different messages, Plumb elaborate an abandoned stud workplace successful the state arsenic a spot wherever helium could 'keep' Holly locked distant portion helium violated her.

He elaborate the plans with subordinate Marc, telling him: 'I'm astatine the constituent wherever idc (I don't care) astir the risks oregon consequences.'

He went online to hunt the word 'how agelong does chloroform instrumentality to sound idiosyncratic unconscious?'