"Was sexually obsessed"

Man tried to kill British TV presenter

The British television presenter Holly Willoughby

(Bild: AP/Lucy North)

In the UK, a 37-year-old man tried to kidnap, rape and kill a TV presenter. He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment and will actually have to spend at least 16 years in prison.

"There is no doubt that - if you had found one or more accomplices (...) - you would have put your plan into action," the judge said to the defendant. The plan was sadistic and brutal. The TV presenter concerned, Holly Willoughby (43), had long hosted the TV program "This Morning" and presented the show "Dancing on Ice".

The man wanted to kidnap, rape and kill the presenter.

(Bild: AP)

The fact that the perpetrator had targeted her and also wanted to harm her children and husband had to do with the fact that he had been sexually obsessed with the presenter for a long time, the court was told. The man had already been convicted previously for announcing sexualized violence to young women.

The case had a serious impact on the woman's life, the public prosecutor's office said. "Women should not feel unsafe when going about their daily lives."

Stumbled across online posts
The police had become aware of the 37-year-old because an undercover investigator from the USA was concerned about his posts in an online group and had given tips to the FBI. The police in the UK were then informed. The man was arrested in the fall of 2023. He has now received a life sentence, of which he must actually serve 16 years.