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Freed Taliban hostage facing 19 charges, including sexual assault, in Canada

OTTAWA, CANADA — Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who spent five years in captivity along with his York County-native wife as hostages of the Taliban in Afg...
Joshua Boyle_Caitlan Coleman

OTTAWA, CANADA — Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who spent five years in captivity along with his York County-native wife as hostages of the Taliban in Afghanistan, is facing 19 charges related to alleged incidents that occurred in Canada after his release, according to the CBC.

Boyle, 34, will undergo a 60-day psychological assessment in Ontario before his next court appearance on March 26, the CBC reports.

He was arrested in Ottawa on New Year’s Day. At the time, he was charged with 15 offenses relating to two alleged victims, including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement.

Those original charges were withdrawn, and a new set of 19 charges were entered into the record. The new charges related to one alleged victim instead of two.

The new charges are:

  • One count of sexual assault while threatening to use a weapon (ropes).
  • One count of sexual assault with a weapon (ropes).
  • One count of uttering a threat to cause death.
  • Nine counts of assault.
  • One count of assault with a weapon (a broomstick).
  • Three counts of unlawful confinement.
  • One count of administering a noxious substance (the antidepressant Trazodone).
  • One count of public mischief (misleading a police officer into believing that someone was suicidal and missing, causing the officer to start an investigation, and thereby diverting suspicion away from Boyle).
  • One count of criminal harassment.

According to police, the alleged offenses occurred in Ottawa between Oct. 14 and Dec. 30, 2017.

Boyle and his wife, Stewartstown, York County native Caitlan Coleman, were freed in October, along with their three children. They spent five years in captivity after being abducted by the Taliban while backpacking through Afghanistan.

Their three children were born in captivity.

After their release, Boyle and his family settled into Boyle’s parents’ home in Smiths Falls, Ont.

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