Holly Willoughby targeted by kidnap, rape and murder plot court

Ms Morgan said during his arrest, Mr Plumb told officers: "I’m not going to lie, [Holly Willoughby] is a fantasy of mine".

She added that a folder on his phone entitled Holly had 10,322 images of Ms Willoughby inside it - many of which were "deep fake" pornographic images.

"If carried out, [this] would have involved catastrophic violence against [Ms Willoughby]," Ms Morgan said.

"He spent many hours planning an attack on her that would involve violence, rape and ultimately murder."

The court was told Ms Willoughby had waived her right to anonymity during the trial and would not be called as a witness.

Mr Plumb wore a grey sweater and sat in the dock as proceedings opened.

The trial, expected to last two weeks, continues.