Former hostage Boyle awaits bail hearing
Joshua Boyle, the former hostage now facing 15 charges including sexual assault, assault and forcible confinement, will remain in custody following a brief court appearance Monday.
Boyle, 34, wearing an orange jailissued jumpsuit, said little as he addressed court while his defence team set a date for a judicial pretrial hearing.
Boyle has not yet had a bail hearing and remains in custody at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where he appeared Monday by video link.
His defence team, led by Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, said Monday they require key pieces of disclosure, including a 911 emergency call and a transcript of an interview.
Defence lawyer Ninetta Caparelli said in court last week that Boyle’s defence team needs more time to complete a bail plan.
The prosecution and defence scheduled a judicial pretrial on Jan. 24, where the parties will meet before a judge behind closed doors to discuss issues related to the trial.
When asked by a judge on Monday if Boyle understood what was going on, he replied casually, “I have no idea.”
Boyle then thanked the court as a judge explained the procedure for the judicial pretrial. Boyle was ordered to appear next in court by video link Jan. 26.
Boyle faces 15 charges including assault, sexual assault, unlawful confinement and causing someone to “take a noxious thing,” namely the anti-depressant Trazodone.
The offences, none of them proven in court, are alleged to have happened between Oct. 14 and Dec. 30. Boyle has been in custody since his arrest on New Year’s Day.
Boyle, his three children and his American wife — Caitlan Coleman — were freed by Pakistani forces in October. There are two alleged victims but a court order bans publication details that might identify them or any witnesses.
Boyle and a pregnant Coleman were taken captive by a Talibanlinked group while backpacking in Afghanistan in 2012.
Their rescue in October made international headlines as the family settled first with Boyle’s parents in Smiths Falls and then in an Ottawa apartment.