The couple was seized in 2012 in Afghanistan during an ill-fated backpacking trip through Asia.

Former hostage Joshua Boyle, accused of assaulting wife Caitlan Coleman, denies he told her how to dress, limited her contact with other men or generally belittled her during their sometimes fractious courtship.

Boyle, 35, has pleaded not guilty in Ontario court to offences against estranged spouse Caitlan Coleman, including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement.

Lynda Coleman says she visited her daughter twice in Ottawa in October and December 2017 and on both visits she found her to be frightened of her husband and robotic in emotion.

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

The Supreme Court ordered a new trial for a man acquitted of sexual assault, saying the sexual history of the alleged victim should not have been entered into evidence.

The trial is suspended indefinitely while Coleman heads to a higher court to challenge a ruling that allows Boyle to introduce evidence about certain consensual sexual activity between them.

Caitlan Coleman's lawyer is asking a superior court to review a ruling that allows Boyle to introduce evidence concerning certain consensual sexual activity with his wife.

Boyle was arrested in the early hours of Dec. 31, 2017, after Coleman told police he had assaulted her on numerous occasions.

Defence lawyer Lawrence Greenspon is dissecting Caitlan Coleman's allegations that Boyle repeatedly assaulted her before she fled their home in late 2017.