Former overseas hostage Joshua Boyle, who faces several assault charges, will be released on bail with strict conditions.
Justice Robert Wadden handed down the decision today in Ontario court following a two-day proceeding earlier this week.
RELATED: Ex-hostage Joshua Boyle charged with sex assault, assault, forcible confinement
Under the release conditions, Boyle must live with his parents in Smiths Falls, Ont., effectively under house arrest, and wear a GPS ankle bracelet that can track his movements.
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 Taliban-linked group during 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.
RELATED: Canadian family held captive by Taliban-linked group leave Pakistan
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.
The family had been living in an Ottawa apartment for about a month when Boyle was arrested.
Lawrence Greenspon, a lawyer for Boyle, told the court in late 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 in Brockville, Ont.
The confidential psychiatric evaluation was completed this spring.
The Canadian Press
