Joshua Boyle - Canadian Press photo

By The Canadian Press

Assault charges against former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle dismissed

Dec 19, 2019 | 10:57 AM

OTTAWA – A judge has dismissed charges against former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle, who had been accused of assaulting his wife Caitlan Coleman.

Ontario Court Judge Peter Doody says the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Boyle, 36, committed multiple offences against Coleman, including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement.

Boyle was in the Ottawa courtroom this morning with his parents as Doody delivered the lengthy verdict.

The trial dealt with the respective credibility of Boyle and Coleman, each of whom spent days testifying about their fraught relationship, their harrowing time as hostages and the events that led up to Boyle’s arrest in late 2017.

In dismissing assault and sexual assault charges against Boyle, Doody said he didn’t believe Boyle but also had concerns about Coleman’s credibility.

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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 Canadian Press)