Son of Norway’s crown princess convicted of rape, sentenced to four years in prison

Europe
By Editor_1
Marius Borg Høiby in Oslo in January - Heiko Junge/NTB Scanpix/AP/File

By Miranda Bryant

OSLO – Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of several offences including two counts of rape.

The verdict was handed down by the Oslo district court on Monday (15) morning, nearly three months after Høiby’s closely watched six-week trial.

Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted him of assaulting his former girlfriend Nora Haukland, the only victim to have been publicly named. He was ordered to pay Haukland and three other women compensation, and was also sentenced to a two-year restraining order against one of his victims.

Høiby faced 40 charges, including four counts of rape and assault, several breaches of restraining orders, as well as drug and driving offences. One charge of violating a restraining order was later overturned.

He was found guilty of 34 offences – including two counts of rape, serious bodily harm, abuse in close relationships, physical assault, threats, six counts of sexually offensive behaviour and three counts of violating a restraining order. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and two counts of violating a restraining order.

The 29-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the most serious accusations against him, including rape, while admitting to ‌some lesser offences. All parties have two weeks to appeal against the verdict.

Høiby attended court by video link from Ila prison, which his defence said was for health reasons. He was not visible on the video link.

Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence him to seven years and seven months in prison, while defence lawyers had argued that he should be acquitted of the rape allegations and receive no more than 18 months for the offences to which he had admitted.

The rape charges involve four women and span a period between 2018 and 2024. The women are alleged in each case to have been sleeping or heavily incapacitated.

Addressing one of the charges for which Høiby was found guilty – the rape of a woman in the basement of the crown prince and princess’s residence at Skaugum in December 2018 – Efjestad said of the video evidence: “She has closed her eyes, lies in the same position over time and shows no reactions to touch or stimulation. There are no sounds or movements that indicate she is awake.

“This is also supported by the victim’s own reaction, when she was shown recordings during interrogation, where she stated that she had not been aware of what happened.”

The trial came at a difficult time for the Norwegian royal family, which has been grappling with the serious illness of Høiby’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She has also faced scrutiny over her past association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last week, Oslo district court agreed to release Høiby, who has been in custody since shortly before his trial began on 3 February, so that he could spend time with his mother as she awaits a lung transplant. However, the request was overturned by the court of appeal.

The trial has attracted significant attention in Norway and abroad. Before the hearing on Monday, journalists queued outside the court before it opened at 7:30 a.m.

The verdict was met with relief and disappointment from the victims. The lawyers John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang said the woman Høiby raped in Skaugum had been “unwillingly drawn into this case”, which was an “enormous burden”.

They said the court had carried out a “thorough and well-reasoned assessment” of the incident, adding: “She now hopes this marks the final conclusion and that Høiby will receive the help he needs so that this does not happen to anyone else.”

Regarding another victim, whom Høiby was acquitted of raping, Elden and Reisvang said: “Although the high burden of proof had not been found by the court to have been met, this does not mean that she was not believed.” The lawyers said they would review the judgment, adding that their client was “disappointed with the outcome, but the case may not yet be finally settled”.

Elden and Reisvang said domestic abuse “is a serious societal issue that can be difficult to prove”, and that Høiby’s conviction for abuse in close relationships was a relief for Haukland. “The case has been an enormous burden on everyone involved, with extensive evidence presented, and she hopes that the judgment will bring the matter to a final close,” they added.

Høiby’s lawyers, Ellen Holager Andenæs and Petar Sekulic, told reporters outside the court that they were on their way to visit their client and hoped he would be released because “he is desperate to be with his mother”.

A spokesperson for the Norwegian royal court said: “The matter has been considered by the courts, and we have no comment on the outcome.”

-theguardian.com

Editor_1
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