MAN JAILED FOR STALKING WIFE BY IMPERSONATING EX-BOYFRIEND
A man has been jailed for launching a prolonged stalking campaign against his own wife posing as her former school boyfriend and driving her to the brink of suicide.Paul Playle, 43, created fake email and Facebook accounts under the name Anthony Reynolds, using them to send disturbing messages to his wife, Amanda.
These messages revealed an unsettling level of detail about her life and claimed she was being watched.
While orchestrating the abuse, Playle simultaneously acted the part of a supportive husband, comforting Amanda as she became increasingly withdrawn and frightened by what she believed was an external stalker.
“To think it was the one person I believed I could always trust,” Amanda Playle said after the sentencing.
“I no longer trust anyone anymore.” At Lewes Crown Court, Judge Christine Henson handed down a prison sentence of three and a half years.
She described the evidence as “overwhelming” and told Playle: “You are the author of your own fate.
You watched your wife effectively crumble before you because of the fear she was experiencing from this online abuse.” Amanda, who works in childcare, said the ordeal was so severe she contemplated ending her life.
In a victim impact statement read aloud in court, she said: “I am terrified to leave the house, go to work or the shop across the road.
I panic when my phone goes off.
I will never understand why this happened.” Prosecutor Gareth Burrows described the extent of Playle’s deception reassuring Amanda while secretly tormenting her—as a “worrying and significant feature” of the case.
Between December 2015 and June 2017, Playle used the false identity to send abusive messages, often referencing Amanda’s past relationships and accusing her of infidelity.
He called her a “slag” and claimed to be watching her while she exercised.
On one occasion, while she was shopping and holding a new handbag, he messaged: “Nice handbag, do you want to meet in Starbucks for a coffee?” He also hid her passport to prevent her from going on holiday with friends.
Playle extended his campaign by contacting Amanda’s parents and colleagues, and even accessed her private accounts to send more harassing messages.
His actions began to unravel when he sent Amanda an image of the Gatwick Airport entrance.
Investigators traced the image back to Playle, confirming he had driven to the terminal and taken the photo.
Some of the emails were also found to have been sent via his home internet connection.
Despite the mounting evidence, Playle denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had been “stitched up.” However, a jury found him guilty of stalking and coercive and controlling behaviour in less than half an hour.
Dressed in a blue T-shirt, he stood in the dock and wept upon hearing the verdict.
Amanda and Paul had known each other since the age of 16 and later married.
“We had hard times but thought we had a stable family,” she said.
“My children are devastated.
My eldest daughter is a totally different person since the trial.”
