Air stewardess who was first victim of Holly Willoughby kidnap, rape and murder plotter is ‘still haunted’ by beast’s abduction attempt

A victim of Gary Plumb – the man who plotted to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby – has said she is still haunted by the twisted criminal’s abduction attempt.

In August 2006, perverted Plumb, 37, attempted to abduct the flight attendant with a black imitation firearm as she sat by herself on a train to Stansted Airport.

Speaking to The Sun, the traumatised stewardess believes TV presenter Willoughby is only safe now the ‘dangerous predator’ has been jailed. 

The French woman, who is believed to be his first known victim, has asked to remain anonymous due to concerns for her safety.

Whilst on her commute to work donning her blue and yellow Ryanair uniform, the morbidly obese security guard – who was then a teenager – launched his kidnap plot.

The French flight attendant confessed she is ‘still haunted’ by the day Gary Plumb attempted to kidnap her using a fake firearm on her way to work at Stanstead Airport. Stock picture posed by model.

Perverted Plumb (pictured) was equipped with the fake gun and three ropes as he attempted to convince the terrified woman he was an undercover office as she sat alone on the train

Perverted Plumb (pictured) was equipped with the fake gun and three ropes as he attempted to convince the terrified woman he was an undercover office as she sat alone on the train

Trembling as she retold the terrifying incident, the mother-of-two said: ‘As soon as he walked over to me all of my senses said something was not right.

Timeline: How Gavin Plumb was snared 

October 3, 2023 – Plumb comes to the attention of US undercover officer ‘David Nelson’ after he posts four photos of Holly Willoughby on the ‘Abduct Lovers’ forum. These include the caption: ‘The one in the public eye that I want.’ 

Mr Nelson contacts him on Kik, writing: ‘Alright I’ll bite. Who’s the hottie with the lazy eye?’

Plumb replies: ‘She’s in the public eye but doesn’t have her own security and doesn’t have CCTV at her house.’

The officer continues exchanging messages with Plumb and decides he poses an ‘imminent risk’ to Ms Willoughby and passes his details to British police.  

October 4 – Essex Police raid the suspect’s home in Harlow, Essex. He initially tells police ‘what are you talking about’ and ‘please explain to me what the hell is going on’.  Told he was under arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap, Plumb said ‘who?’ and was told it was Ms Willoughby. He later admits the TV presenter ‘is a fantasy of mine’. 

‘My hairs stood on end and I froze. I had my uniform on, so I had my skirt on and he touched me on my bare leg.

‘His hand was massive. It was like a huge paw. I felt physically sick, he repulsed me then and I am still haunted by it now.

‘Because I am quite petite and he was so massive I felt in immediate danger. There was no one to help me.’ 

The victim, who now resides in France, remembered how perverted Plumb, who was equipped with three pieces of rope and a faux gun, lent over whilst signalling for her to stay quiet.

The terrified woman said Plumb quickly showed her an ID card whilst claiming he was a police officer, demanding she alight at the next stop via a note.

Still shaken by the ordeal, the woman explained she had only been in England for a few months and was unsure if she should follow Plumb’s instructions as he insisted he was an undercover cop.

‘He was very close to me and was leaning over and I could feel his breath on me,’ she said.

‘Even though I was a foreigner in England, I was still not convinced by him. I think he sensed this.

‘He flashed a card and said, ‘There you go.’ It was like he showed me an ID card or something but it was so quick.

‘I said nothing and waited to see what would happen. It was scary because the carriage was deserted but it was daytime.

‘Then he just got off at the next stop. I stayed in my seat. It was like I was frozen to the spot.

‘I stayed on the train one more stop to the airport. When I got off I ran straight to the station security.’

Plumb was later detained by Transport Police after he departed a train at Stansted Mounflitchet in Essex.

The security guard planned to kidnap, rape and murder TV star Holly Willoughby (pictured)

The security guard planned to kidnap, rape and murder TV star Holly Willoughby (pictured)

Prior to his most recent arrest, (pictured) Plumb had attempted to kidnap two women and had also held to teenagers at knifepoint

Prior to his most recent arrest, (pictured) Plumb had attempted to kidnap two women and had also held to teenagers at knifepoint

The perverted man was then discovered with a fake black firearm as well as three pieces of rope after he was searched by police.

Authorities then found Plumb had attempted to abduct another Ryanair staff member during that same week. 

She added: ‘I am so thankful to this day that I didn’t get off the train with him.

‘It is a quiet station and I hate to think about what might have happened.

‘It made me very scared for my safety and being alone when I was outside because I thought he might come back to get me. I still worry about that now sometimes.’

Following the incident, Plumb was handed a suspended sentence for two kidnap attempts.

He was then jailed for two years after holding two 16-year-old girls who worked at a Woolworths in Harlow, Essex at knifepoint. 

After serving a two year prison sentence for these crimes, he was released in 2010.

The ‘obsessed’ security guard was found guilty of of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap after his sickening plot to murder Holly Willoughby was discovered by an undercover officer from the Owatonna Police Department in the US state of Minnesota.

Ajury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to find him guilty of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap yesterday at Chelmsford Crown Court (a court drawing of Plumb)

Ajury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to find him guilty of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap yesterday at Chelmsford Crown Court (a court drawing of Plumb)

The messy flat where the recluse came up with the slickening plot to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby

The messy flat where the recluse came up with the slickening plot to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby

A 'restraint kit' that was found at Plumb's home

A ‘restraint kit’ that was found at Plumb’s home  

He denied all charges claiming he wasn’t physically capable of abducting the former This Morning presenter. 

He also alleged he 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’.

But a jury took 12 hours and 19 minutes to find him guilty of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap yesterday at Chelmsford Crown Court after being presented with a raft of shocking evidence.

The terrifying 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.

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk