Man Gets Life in Prison for 'Sadistic' Plot to Kill TV Host

Holly Willoughby has a cop in Minnesota to thank for saving her life, from thousands of miles across the pond. The 43-year-old British model and TV personality was the target of a rape and murder plot at the hands of Gavin Plumb, who last week was found guilty of the scheme after a trial that lasted eight days, reports the BBC. On Friday, the 37-year-old ex-security guard heard the rest of his fate: He was sentenced to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole for more than 15 years, counting time he's already spent in custody.

• The scheme: Plumb's plot involved a "home invasion" in which he would break into the family home, tie up Willoughby and rape her in front of her family, then kill her and get rid of her body in an abandoned building just outside of London. In a video seen by the jury, Plumb was seen saying to arresting police officers of Willoughby, "I'm not gonna lie. She is a fantasy of mine."

• The evidence: Plumb was said to have had more than 10,000 photos of Willoughby, a former host of ITV's This Morning, on his phone, including deepfake porn images, and police say he'd also purchased cable ties and a folding knife and had sourced some chloroform, per the Guardian. He'd also engaged in graphic sexual chats with others online about his plans for Willoughby—not realizing one of those people in an "Abduct Lovers" chat was an undercover police officer from Minnesota. That cop contacted the FBI, which in turn contacted UK police.
• Judge's reprimand: "Over a number of years, you pursued an unhealthy sexual obsession with Holly Willoughby that led you ultimately to plan over that period to kidnap, to rape, and to murder her," Judge Edward Murray said in Chelmsford Crown Court, northeast of London. "You intended to harm her husband and her children as part of your plan."
• More of the takedown: Plumb, who's reported to have previous convictions for attempted kidnapping, insisted that his online musings were just "fantasy," showing "no emotion" during his sentencing. Murray disagreed, noting, "I have no doubt that this was considerably more than a fantasy to you." The judge called Plumb's plans "particularly sadistic, brutal, and degrading," adding that they were so "horrifying, shocking, and graphic in detail" that they couldn't be shared with the full court (only the jury heard them), per the AP.
• Willoughby's take: "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," Willoughby said after Plumb was convicted, per the BBC. Plumb also now has an indefinite restraining order that bars any contact with Willoughby.

(More murder plot stories.)