An Ottawa boy testified in court today that his Mountie father would point a gun at his head, causing him to fear for his life as he was restrained in his family's basement.

The boy, who is now 13, began testifying today at the Ontario Superior Court trial of his father, 44, and stepmother, 36, on child abuse charges.

The trial resumed Friday after being adjourned Thursday due to a medical issue related to the father.

Each parent is charged with aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life. The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

Both have pleaded not guilty. Neither accused can be named to protect the identity of the boy.

The Mountie was suspended upon being charged in 2013 and remains suspended without pay, RCMP said.

'I was scared to death'

The boy told the court his father would threaten him with a revolver, and use a cross to "get demons out" of the boy.

"I was scared to death," he testified.

The boy also said he was forced to complete 500 pushups each morning if he did not finish his breakfast, and would often go to school without a lunch.

The testimony came after the boy's interviews with police from June 2013, four months after the parents were arrested, was played in court.

The boy told the court his father would lock him in the bathroom to memorize the Ten Commandments and he would be forced to pray on his knees for two hours.

The father has admitted to restraining his son in the family's basement with chains and plastic ties. The boy told the court on Friday he would alert his father when the restraints weren't tight enough because he feared punishment if the restraints were loose.

The Crown finished questioning the boy on Friday and the trial will resume on Monday with cross-examination of the boy by defence lawyer Robert Carew.