Marius Borg Høiby Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Rape In Norway

Marius Borg Hoiby, the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, was sentenced by an Oslo district court to four years in prison for rape and other crimes after a seven-week trial.

“An Oslo district court has sentenced Marius Borg Hoiby, the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, to four years in prison for rape and other crimes after a seven-week trial that further tarnished the image of the royal family”

Al Jazeera

The court convicted Hoiby of two counts of rape and domestic violence against his former partner Nora Haukland, and it also found him guilty of narcotics offences, while he was acquitted on two other rape counts.

Al Jazeera

Hoiby, 29, became part of the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Haakon in 2001, and the prosecution said one of the rapes he was convicted of took place in the basement of the crown prince’s official Skaugum residence.

Hoiby pleaded guilty to domestic abuse and transporting 3.5kg (7.7lb) of marijuana in 2020, and he told the court, “I’m mostly known as my mother’s son, not anything else,” while describing “an extreme need for recognition” that he said manifested itself in “a lot of sex, a lot of drugs and a lot of alcohol.”

Prosecutor Sturla Henriksboe framed the verdict as a test of equality before the law, saying, “This is a victory for our justice system,” and adding, “No one can get away with serious criminal acts based on who they are or who they are related to.”

Defense lawyer Ellen Holager Andenaes said, “It is only natural to consider appealing the serious charges for which he was convicted and which he did not admit,” after the sentence was delivered on Monday.

Anadolu Ajansı

Hoiby watched the reading of the verdict via a video link from prison, and the trial evidence included “more than 800 electronic messages” as well as messages, images and videos from Hoiby's cellphone.

The royal family sought to distance itself from the case, with Haakon telling reporters that Hoiby “is a citizen of Norway and, as such, has the same responsibilities as everyone else,” while a spokesperson for the royal household said, “The matter has been considered by the courts, and we have no comment on the outcome.”

The sentence came as the case continued to reverberate through Norway’s monarchy, with the royal household declining to comment on the verdict while the prosecution and defense positions remained tied to whether rape charges would be upheld on appeal.

Courthouse News reported that Oslo District Court found Hoiby guilty of all but four of 40 charges, including two counts of rape, domestic abuse, violating restraining orders and drug charges, and it quoted Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad saying, “Any reasonable doubt must be given to the accused.”

The same Courthouse News account described Mette-Marit as “poised to one day become queen of Norway,” while noting that her health had deteriorated and that she was waiting for a lung donor for a transplant.

NBC News added that the case coincided with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s apology for “poor judgment“ in maintaining contact with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and it cited a Norstat survey out on February 21 showing support for keeping the monarchy at “a record low of 60%.”