Former Afghan hostage Joshua Boyle's assault trial delayed

The assault trial of a Canadian man once held hostage with his American wife in Afghanistan was suspended Friday while a legal dispute over evidence is sorted out.

Joshua Boyle, 35, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement at the end of 2017 just two months after he and his wife Caitlan Coleman, 33, returned to Canada after their five-year hostage ordeal.

He pleaded not guilty at his trial, which started in March but could now be delayed for months while Coleman fights the introduction of evidence of the couple's past consensual sexual activities.

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A hearing is scheduled for May 15.

Defence lawyer Eric Granger said the trial could resume as early as July. "That's theoretically possible," he told AFP, following reports that Coleman won't appeal the decision on evidence, whatever the outcome.

Boyle and Coleman, who married in 2011, were kidnapped by the Taliban during what they have called a backpacking trip in 2012 and were transferred to the custody of the Taliban-allied Haqqani network.

Coleman testified that during captivity, Boyle became physically abusive, biting, choking, punching, slapping and spanking her, as well as casually threatening to kill her in front of their children -- who were born in captivity.

The assaults and abuse, she said, paused briefly after their release, but then started up again.

The court heard Boyle's 911 call on the day Coleman walked out of the couple's Ottawa apartment at the end of December. He claimed she was mentally unstable, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, and might harm herself.

But the call triggered a police investigation that led to him being charged.

The court has banned the identification of a second alleged victim in the case.