A Canadian man who was held captive by a faction of the Afghan Taliban for five years appeared briefly in an Ottawa court on Wednesday, facing a slew of charges that include sexual assault, illegal confinement and issuing death threats.
Joshua Boyle, 34, appeared for less than five minutes by video link at the court hearing, which was described by his lawyer, Eric Granger, as a "purely administrative" procedure. The next hearing was set for January 8.