Ex-lover of security guard who plotted to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby reveals he dangled her over a stairwell during years of 'evil' abuse - as she says she wanted to hug the TV star and say sorry
The former lover of Gavin Plumb who plotted to kidnap then rape and murder Holly Willoughby has revealed he dangled her over a stairwell during years of 'evil' abuse.
Laura Roberts, who gave birth to the twisted security guard's two children during their three year relationship, branded him a 'complete fantasist' warned 'he has done it before and he will do it again'.
She called Plumb a 'true monster' and said she wanted to give Holly a hug and to say sorry.
Ms Roberts heartbreakingly said she blames herself to what happened to her as she should have left him sooner.
'I was not surprised when I heard what he had done- it all fitted in. He has done it before and he will do it again,' she said.
Plumb, 37, was convicted of soliciting the murder, rape and kidnap of the television presenter at Chelmsford Crown Court after a seven day trial.
Laura Roberts said she was not surprised he threatened to kill Holly Willoughby
Laura Roberts said Plumb had 'done it before and he will do it again,' when asked about him
Adrian Broad, the father of Gavin, said he lost contact with him after the marriage to his mother broke down
Ms Roberts told The Sun: 'I have seen the darkest side to him and he is capable of evil.
'The thought that he was planning to do to Holly what he did to me, it is keeping me awake at night.
'It came so close to happening to her and she doesn't even know him.'
She went on to say she was sorry that 'lovely lady' Holly had to go 'through hell' like she did because of him.
Ms Roberts told the Telegraph: 'We were together for three years but I have not seen him since he left.'
Plumb's father, Adrian Broad, told the Daily Mail he rarely saw his son after his marriage to the mother broke down.
He said: 'We split up and I had visitation rights for the boys.
'But I had to stop seeing them because my father-in-law said I couldn't bring them around there any more.
'They all think I abandoned them but I didn't; it's because I had nowhere to take them. None of my boys want to speak to me.'
Gavin Plumb being arrested for plotting to murder the Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby was warned by police she was in danger from Gavin Plumb before his trial
Adrian Broad said he ws 'disgusted' by what his son had done but added he needed help
Speaking to the Telegraph, Adrian added his son needed help and argued what his son did was wrong but that he needed some form of support.
'It's just sick, it really is. He needs help, he definitely needs help,' he added.
'It was the [abduction] kit and what he was going to do to her, that's what disgusted me.
'I don't think he's getting the support. I've seen the pictures of him and he's let himself go. I just think he's been basically dumped, especially after he's got in trouble before. I do feel sorry for him.'
The messy flat where the recluse came up with the slickening plot
He then planned to rape her before murdering her and then disposing her body in the lake
Police found equipment including a ball gag, ring gag, blindfolds and cuffs at his flat
Chelmsford Crown Court heard Plumb planned to use a restraining kit during the kidnap of Holly.
The defendant, who weighed up to 30 stone and adopted the user name Big Bear to chat to others about his plot online, appeared to formulate his fantasy as early as 2011 - googling the phrase 'how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebs'.
But his plans were foiled when one of his potential accomplices, who went by the name of David Nelson, turned out to be an undercover officer from the Owatonna Police Department in the US state of Minnesota.
Plumb, 37, claimed he wasn't physically capable of abducting the former This Morning presenter, had no one qualified to drive to her London home, and that vile conversations he had with 'like-minded' people in dark recesses of the internet were 'just online chat'.
He told jurors his online chats were 'massively regrettable' and that he was 'heartbroken, disgusted and shocked' that they had come out.
The court heard how Plumb had been planning to kidnap Willoughby 'for about two and a half years' and wanted to 'slit her throat'.
On the third day of his trial, jurors were shown more material from a 'sequence of events', including hundreds of communications he had with others online, as he tried to put together a 'crew' to help him attack Willoughby and other celebrities.
However, the court heard Plumb began his research into kidnapping stars more than a decade ago.
When police seized his phone, they discovered in 2011, he had looked up 'how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities'.
In more voice notes, Plumb is heard saying Willoughby was the 'original target' but he and others had about '15 cells' they were 'looking at filling'.
Talking about Willoughby and another potential target, the security guard added: 'We could do both at the same time - meet up, swap vehicles, get both in the same vehicle, take them to their new location basically.'
But a jury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to find him guilty after being presented with a raft of shocking evidence, including a chloroform restraint kit that he planned to use it to kidnap Ms Willoughby.
He then planned to take the TV presenter to an isolated stud farm for sexual torture, kill her and dump her body in a lake.
Jurors heard police recovered millions of images of Holly and other female celebs on his devices following his arrest. Plumb had also shared deepfake pornography of her online.
The 37-year-old fiend spent years fixating on the former This Morning star - tracking her movements and activities for 'some time'.
In May 2022, Plumb sought to book a tour of ITV's studios, telling accomplice Marc, who is believed to have been based in Ireland: 'I'm calling the studio tours tomorrow to see if they're still available and if you meet presenters.'
Plumb never went on such a tour, with Essex Police Detective Constable Will Belsham telling jurors there was no evidence to he had followed through with this plan.
Earlier in the trial, Plumb claimed he wanted to try and use his security training to get close to Willoughby, working as part of her protection team.
'I have passed my SIA [Security Industry Authority] licence so might try to use it to become her security guard,' he said.
In other messages, Plumb detailed an abandoned stud farm in the country as a place where he could 'keep' Holly locked away while he violated her.
He detailed the plans with associate Marc, telling him: 'I'm at the point where idc (I don't care) about the risks or consequences.'
He went online to search the term 'how long does chloroform take to knock someone unconscious?'
The messy flat where the recluse came up with the slickening plot
Plumb, 37, struck up an online relationship with a man who turned out to be undercover police officer
Plumb's 62-year-old mother, who worked as a hospital healthcare assistant, declined to speak with the Mail but has resolutely stuck up for her son despite his obvious flaws and failings.
'His mum is a big part of his life,' a family friend said. 'She adores him and worships the ground he walks on. She loves her children unconditionally.'
Described as a 'quiet' child, Plumb grew up collecting Ghostbusters merchandise and playing the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
'He was biggish; simple-looking,' said the mother of an old school friend at Passmores secondary school in Harlow. 'He's always been like that.'
Indeed, by the age of 13, Plumb had started to put on so much weight that he noticed girls would 'friendzone' him rather than fancy him. Those who know him believe his future behaviour around women is rooted in the sexual frustration he experienced from then on.
And by August 2006, then 19, Plumb began to have violent problems with women.
He targeted two uniformed Ryanair workers travelling from Bishop's Stortford to Stansted Airport.
In the first incident he sat in front of one of the women and handed her a note. It read: 'I will do anything.'
For this he was handed a 12 month suspended sentence.
He was then jailed for 32 months after attacking two teenage girls in 2008 threatening them with a blade.
Essex Police's senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood said: 'Gavin Plumb is a dangerous, predatory individual who was intent on causing the most serious harm to his victim.
'He was not just simply obsessed with Holly Willoughby, he meticulously and carefully planned, over a number of years, to carry out a depraved and violent attack, in which he plotted to deprive her of her liberty and ultimately her life.
'His claims in court that he was a 'fantasist' are simply not true and were evidenced by the extent with which he plotted with others to carry out his wicked plan.
Pointing to Plumb's 'history of attacking other women', DCI Wood continued: 'He is a dangerous man and I have no doubt he was determined to carry out the acts he planned.
'Today, we are extremely grateful to our law enforcement colleague in America who not only brought Gavin Plumb to our attention, but helped gather the vital evidence that secured his conviction.
'We would also like to thank the victim who has courageously supported this case throughout and bravely waived her anonymity.
'Today, Gavin Plumb remains where he belongs - behind bars. At Essex Police we will continue to do all we can to seek out those intent on causing violence and harm to women and girls and, like this defendant, put them behind bars.
'There is simply no place for dangerous individuals like him on either the streets of Essex, or wider society, and we will do all we can to continue to make our communities safe for all.'
The sentencing will take place on July 12.
