A few months after Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman and their three children were rescued in October 2017 after being held captive in Afghanistan, Mr Boyle was arrested by Canadian police and charged with assault, sexual assault and forcible confinement. On Thursday, after a lengthy trial, a judge dismissed all the charges.
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In his decision, read in an Ottawa courtroom, Ontario Court Judge Peter Doody raised issues with the credibility of both Mr Boyle's and Ms Coleman's testimony.
"I do not believe her, just as I do not believe Mr Boyle," he said in court.
The two gave very divergent accounts during the trial of the events that led up to Mr Boyle's arrest.
The judge said the evidence was largely circumstantial and that prosecutors ultimately did not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mr Boyle did not comment on the decision on Thursday.
Speaking on his behalf, his lawyer Lawrence Greenspon told journalists that "Mr Boyle and his family are very happy with this decision".
The trial, which began in March, faced delays due to legal wrangling over whether defence counsel would be allowed to cross-examine Ms Coleman with respect to the couple's sexual history.
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