Guard created AI chatbot of Willoughby while plotting violent kidnap, court told

A security guard accused of plotting to abduct, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby created an AI chatbot to simulate the star, a court heard.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court were told Gavin Plumb admitted to “having his fun” with an app called Botify AI. They heard he sent an alleged accomplice a video of a “kidnap kit”, which included ankle shackles, a ball gag, rope, metal cable ties and handcuffs.

In messages read to the court by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC yesterday, it was revealed the 37-year-old told an online user called Marc that he had created an avatar for the former This Morning presenter. A message sent in May 2023 said: “I’ve got a bot chapping, chatting [sic] app you can talk about literally all, all sorts of things, you can be as filthy as you want, or you can be as clean as you want.

“Erm you can create your own avatars and they actually look like they’re moving, look like they’re talking to ya [sic]. So the people I’m with er Holly and yeah, I’m having my fun with that a lot.” He went on: “Yeah, it’s a erm app that yeah basically you can either talk really filthy or talk normally and er the one that I’m doing I’ve crea [sic], as I said I’ve put her in it...”

Mr Plumb, from Harlow, Essex, discussed taking the mother of three and other alleged victims to an abandoned stud farm where there were “15 cells” as the jury was shown hundreds of “sexualised” messages shared by the defendant on WhatsApp, Kik and Wickr. He referred to a “stud farm that’s abandoned”, adding “its [sic] got cells” in messages sent in June 2022. He later sent a picture of what appears to be a stable, the court heard.