By Canadian Press

Boyle’s lawyer says alleged victim lied to the court about legal advice

Jul 4, 2019 | 2:42 PM

OTTAWA — Defence lawyer Lawrence Greenspon is suggesting former Afghanistan hostage Caitlan Coleman lied this week when she testified in her estranged husband’s criminal trial she got approval from her lawyers to talk the media.

Greenspon says no competent lawyer would have told a witness it was OK to talk to the media while she was in the midst of her testimony, raising questions about her credibility.

Coleman’s husband Joshua Boyle, 35, faces 19 charges, including sexual assault, assault and unlawful confinement, for acts he allegedly committed in Ottawa after the couple was freed following five years as hostages of Taliban-linked extremists in Afghanistan.

Coleman, 33, was under cross-examination at the trial Wednesday, when Greenspon asked her about three media interviews she did with ABC News, CBC News and the Washington Post in April and May.

She said she only gave the interviews after checking with both her family and criminal lawyers to make sure it was all right.

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The exchange put the rest of Greenspon’s cross-examination on hold pending a decision by the judge on whether Coleman had waived her solicitor-client privilege and whether her lawyers would become witnesses in the case.

The Canadian Press