Bail hearing for former Afghanistan hostage continues
Joshua Boyle faces several assault charges
OTTAWA— A bail hearing for former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle, who faces several assault charges, will stretch into a second day.
The Ontario court proceedings — likely to conclude Tuesday — are subject to a publication ban.
As a result, Boyle's lawyers de- clined to comment as they filed out of the provincial courthouse Monday.
Boyle was arrested by Ottawa police in December and charged with various offences including assault, sexual assault, unlawful confinement and causing someone to take a noxious substance.
The charges against Boyle relate to two alleged victims, but a court order prohibits the publication of any details that might identify them or any witnesses.
Boyle and his American wife, Caitlan Coleman, were taken hostage in 2012 by a Talibanlinked group while on a backpacking trip in Afghanistan.
The couple, along with the three children they had during their five years in captivity, were freed by Pakistani forces last October. None of the charges, which relate to incidents that allegedly occurred between Oct. 14 and Dec. 30 — after Boyle returned to Canada — have been tested in court.
Lawrence Greenspon, a lawyer for Boyle, told the court in January that an initial evaluation found his client fit to stand trial, but added that he would benefit from a fuller assessment at a mental health centre.