By Canadian Press

Judge to rule on assault charges against former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle

Dec 19, 2019 | 2:15 AM

OTTAWA — A judge is slated to rule today whether former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle is guilty of assaulting his wife Caitlan Coleman.

Boyle, 36, has pleaded not guilty to offences against Coleman including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement in the period from October to December 2017.

The incidents are alleged to have taken place in Ottawa after Boyle and Coleman returned to Canada following five years as prisoners of Taliban-linked extremists.

The couple was seized in 2012 in Afghanistan during an ill-fated backpacking trip through Asia.

In urging Ontario Court Judge Peter Doody to find Boyle guilty, prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham said during closing arguments that Boyle used a calculated mixture of kindness and cruelty to ensnare Coleman in an emotional web.

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Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who represented Boyle, said reasonable doubt about his client’s guilt amounted to a defence against all of the criminal charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2019.

The Canadian Press