Joshua Boyle Arrested in Ottawa, Faces 15 Charges
#LSN_Opinion Trudeau with Boyle back in December
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- January 2, 2018 (LSN) Joshua Boyle Arrested, Faces 15 Charges Including Forcible Confinement, Eight Counts Of Assault, & Uttering Death Threats
He is now in custody facing charges for alleged crimes that took place since he was brought to Canada after being held hostage. Among the charges are two counts of sexual assault, and one count of misleading police.
Joshua Boyle will appear in an Ottawa court on Wednesday to face 15 charges.
As reported by the Toronto Star, the charges against Boyle – who along with his family had been held hostage in Afghanistan & Pakistan – include two charges of unlawful confinement, two counts of sexual assault, eight counts of assault, one count of misleading police, one count of “causing someone to take a noxious thing, namely Trazodone,” and one count of uttering death threats.
According to the report, the alleged crimes took place in the city of Ottawa, and occurred between October 14 and December 30.
The report notes, “Boyle’s lawyer Eric Granger told the Star that his client is presumed innocent and that he is “eager to see” the evidence in the case. “Mr. Boyle is a young man who we all know has been through a lot. He has never been in trouble with the law,” Granger wrote in an email. “We look forward to receiving that evidence and defending him against these charges in court.”
The Star also noted a statement by Joshua’s wife Caitlan:
“I can’t speak about the specific charges, but I can say that ultimately it is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this. Obviously, he is responsible for his own actions,” she wrote, “but it is with compassion and forgiveness that I say I hope help and healing can be found for him. As to the rest of us, myself and the children, we are healthy and holding up as well as we can.”
Questionable visit
The Boyle family had recently visited Justin Trudeau in the Prime Minister’s Office, a visit that many found questionable considering Boyle’s past ties to the Khadr family, including having served as a spokesman for the family, and having been married to Omar Khadr’s sister Zaynab.
Strangely, the Boyle family twitter posted the following text accompanying photos of the visit:
“Incidentally, not our first meeting with @JustinTrudeau, that was ’06 in Toronto over other common interests, haha.”
The PMO has not said what those “common interests” were.
Spencer Fernando
