Former Taliban hostage accused of using ropes during sexual assault in new set of charges

A Canadian man who was held hostage by the Taliban with his wife and three children is accused of using ropes and a broomstick during sexual and physical assaults, according to a new set of charges.

Joshua Boyle was charged with 19 counts of sexual assault, assault, uttering threats, unlawful confinement, administering a noxious substance, public mischief, and criminal harassment on Friday, CBC reported.

Boyle and his wife Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped during a backpacking trip in Afghanistan and had three children in the five years they spent in captivity before Pakistani forces rescued them in October.

The family returned to Canada, but Boyle was arrested less than three months later on 15 charges.

A judge dismissed the original charges for the new set of 19 on Friday and allowed Boyle to undergo a “comprehensive” psychiatric assessment.

The new charges accuse Boyle of using ropes during a sexual assault, and a broomstick during a physical attack.

He is also charged with slipping someone the antidepressant Trazodone, and making false claims about a suicidal person in an attempt to mislead the police.

Responding to Boyle’s arrest in January, Coleman issued a statement to the Toronto Star citing the “strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years.”

“Obviously, he is responsible for his own actions, but it is with compassion and forgiveness that I say I hope help and healing can be found for him," she wrote. "As to the rest of us, myself and the children, we are healthy and holding up as well as we can.”