OTTAWA, CANADA — Trial began Monday for Joshua Boyle, the former Afghan hostage who — upon his return to Canada — was charged with assault, sexual assault and other offenses, the CBC reports.
Boyle is accused of assaulting two women, one of which being his wife — York County native Caitlan Coleman — who, according to the CBC, lifted the court-ordered publication ban that shielded her identity. The other victim’s identity remains protected by the ban.
Boyle and Coleman were abducted by the Taliban while backpacking through Afghanistan in 2012. The two, along with their three children who were born in captivity, were freed on October 12, 2017.
According to police, Boyle was arrested in Ottawa on New Year’s Day of 2018. The 19 charges against him stem from incidents that occurred between October 14, 2017 and December 30, 2017.