They were held hostage by Islamic militants for five years. Now Canadian Joshua Boyle is accused of sexually abusing wife Caitlan Coleman
- Joshua Boyle and his wife were kidnapped in 2012 while backpacking in Afghanistan, and had three children while in captivity
- Boyle is now accused of 19 charges, relating to attacks on his wife that allegedly began the day after they returned to Canada in 2017
Former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle has gone on trial in Canada on charges that he repeatedly assaulted his wife.
Boyle faces 19 charges, including sexual assault. A partial gag order was lifted as the trial started Monday, revealing that all but one of the 19 charges relate to his American wife, Caitlan Coleman of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania.

Boyle and his wife were taken hostage in 2012 by a Taliban-linked group while on a backpacking trip in Afghanistan. The couple had three children during their five years in captivity. The family was rescued in 2017 by Pakistani forces.
Boyle was arrested in December that year. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the police, the offences occurred between 14 October – the day Boyle and his family returned to Canada – and 30 December 2017.