Son of dad who shot his karate instructor dead on live TV finally speaks out after 40 years
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The son of a man who killed a disgraced karate instructor on live TV has spoken about his ordeal after more than 40 years.
Gary Plauché waited at Louisiana's Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport for Jeffrey Doucet in March 1984.
Doucet was being escorted by police for the horrific crimes he committed against Gary's son, Jody.
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With television crews looking on, Plauché turned away from the bank of public telephones where he'd been hiding. He pulled a gun, shot and killed Doucet, and plead down to manslaughter.
He was hailed as a hero but Jody, now 52, told the Daily Mail that he doesn't believe just was appropriately served.
Doucet was travelling with police after his arrest for abducting Jody.
The 25-year-old was his karate instructor and had groomed the 11-year-old before driving him to a motel in California, where he subjected the child to the most shocking physical and sexual abuse.
He allowed Jody to make a call to his mother back in Baton Rouge and was subsequently apprehended.
"I didn’t want Jeff dead," Jody told the Mail. "I just wanted him to stop."
Gary Plauché was given a suspended sentence and died a free man in 2014.
"I think for a lot of people who have not been satisfied by the American justice system, my dad stands as a symbol of justice," said Jody.
"I understand why he did it, absolutely. And I know my dad, and when he said he would kill anyone who touched me, I knew he’d kill him. But I cannot and will not condone his behaviour.
"To this day, Jeff going to jail for the rest of his life is still my preferred sentencing for him."
Jody's abuse began when he and his brother were enrolled in Doucet's karate classes.
"He would test boundaries with all the kids, and then pick out the ones he thought would be best and the most compliant," he said, describing Doucet's behaviour as 'textbook paedophilia'.
"How it worked with me is, he’d help me stretch, and then he’d start touching my inner thighs... that was his way of normalising the inappropriate touch that was coming.
"He didn’t just groom me, he groomed my whole family. He gained my trust as well as their trust and had us all fooled."
Police traced Doucet and Jody's location from his call and raided the motel room. The child was returned to his family and Doucet was transported back to Baton Rouge.
As the entourage passed the phones, Gary Plauché, concealed by a baseball cap, emerged and shot Doucet with a .38 snub-nosed revolver.
Doucet went into a coma and died the next day.
Jody later wrote a book about his trauma. Though he disagreed with his father's vigilante justice, he forgave Gary years before he passed away.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Chris Nee