The crazed fantasist who plotted to kidnap TV’s Holly Willoughby has been refused permission to attend his mum’s funeral because he is considered too dangerous to be released from prison for just a few hours.
Gavin Plumb has asked prison chiefs to be allowed to say goodbye to his 64-year-old mum, Carol, but the request has been refused. Plumb, 39, who is serving 16 years in the top-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire, is said to be devastated by her death from cancer earlier this year.
No date has been fixed for the funeral, but prison sources have revealed that Plumb is hoping he may be able to say goodbye to his mum while she is lying at rest.
A prison source said: “Plumb is a broken man. His mum used to visit and call quite often.
“He has asked for permission to attend her funeral. It is unlikely to be given because he is regarded as a real security threat.
“At the moment, he has been refused permission to attend. But if that changes, he will be handcuffed and accompanied by prison guards. He won’t be attending any family gathering in a private house. It is likely to be just the church service and the funeral, and that’s it.
“But he needs to get approval from the governor, and it will have to be cleared by the Prison Service. There is some concern that it will be a media circus and pictures of him will appear on the front pages of newspapers.”
Prisoners are allowed to attend funerals, but usually only those of close family members and friends.
Earlier this month, Plumb was reportedly caught with a sinister stash of pictures of Holly in his jail cell. The pictures were found by prison officers hidden under a mattress.
A source said: “Plumb is still obsessed with Holly. The pictures were taken from magazines. He should not have been allowed access to images of her.”
Plumb was born in February 1987. His parents are believed to have split acrimoniously when he was young. His mother married another man in the late 1980s, and her son had no contact with his biological father.
The Essex security guard was convicted in July 2024 of soliciting murder and encouraging or assisting others to rape and kidnap the former This Morning presenter.
His plans involved attempting to “ambush Ms Willoughby, 45, at her family home – discussing taking time off work in order to organise the grim attack.
The stalker then plotted to take the TV presenter to an isolated stud farm in order to sexually torture and murder her before dumping her body in a lake.
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