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While Willoughby did not deliver an impact statement, the judge said it was clear Plumb’s scheme had a “catastrophic and life-changing” impact on the TV personality’s private and professional life.
Willoughby, 43, has been one of Britain’s most high-profile television personalities for years. She resigned shortly after Plumb’s arrest after 14 years as host of ITV’s morning show This Morning.
Plumb was arrested after an undercover US police officer infiltrated an online group called “Kidnapping Enthusiasts” and became concerned about Plumb’s posts and handed evidence to the FBI.
Plumb told officers he was “absolutely serious” about planning to kidnap Willoughby, which led officers to believe Willoughby was an “imminent threat.”
When Essex Police raided Plumb’s north London flat they found bottles of chloroform and a “kidnapping kit” with cable ties.
When he was arrested and police told him the charges related to Willoughby, defendant told them: “I’m not going to lie, she’s a fantasy of mine.”
Detective Chief Inspector Greg Wood, senior investigating officer at Essex Police, said the case “highlights misogyny and violence against women and girls” and paid tribute to Willoughby and others.
“It just goes to show how much work we all have to do to root this kind of behaviour out of society,” he said outside court after the sentencing. “It’s not right that people like Gavin Plumb can join online forums and freely spew their hatred towards women and girls and plot to harm them.
Associated Press
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