Man jailed for stalking his wife by impersonating her ex-boyfriend

A HUSBAND comforted his terrified wife as she was almost driven to suicide by a stalker — who turned out to be him.

Sicko Paul Playle, 43, posed online as the childhood sweetheart of his missus Amanda to put her through two years of hell.

He set up bogus Facebook and email accounts to bombard her with threats and abuse — made worse because the sender knew intimate details about the mum of three and where she went.

She had no idea it was her husband of 27 years until police unmasked him, a jury heard.

CCTV at Gatwick airport captured him taking a photo that the stalker sent to her.

Playle, of Bexhill, East Sussex, wept as he was jailed for 3½ years after being convicted of stalking.

Judge Christine Henson told him: “You watched your wife effectively crumble before you because of the fear she was experiencing from this online abuse.”

He and nursery worker Amanda, 43, met when both were 16. The court heard the stalker also plagued her parents and work colleagues.

Horrified Amanda said: “It was the one person I believed I could always trust.”