Marius Borg Høiby Trial to Conclude This WeekANE HEM – Getty Images
The trial of Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is set to end this week, and prosecutors have requested a jail term of seven years and seven months. The case had a maximum prison time of 10 years.
Høiby denies most of the 39 charges, including four counts of rape, but has already pleaded guilty to some of the lesser offenses including a drugs charge and breaking a restraining order. He also partially admitted to assaulting a woman, but denied that he abused her. Giving evidence last week, he spoke about the press coverage. “I’m not Marius any more, I’m a monster,” he said.
“The fact that you commit criminal acts after the media spotlight is directed at you as a famous person should not contribute to a reduction in sentence,” police attorney Andreas Kruszewski said, per NRK. State Attorney Sturla Henriksbø added, “Rape and abuse in close relationships are among the most serious conditions that one can expose other people to, and this must also be reflected in the punishment.”
Henriksbø told the court that three of the rape charges should command a two-year term in jail, and a fourth should receive a three-year term. In all four rape cases, per the BBC, “the women were either asleep or otherwise incapacitated,” though Høiby told the court, “I don’t sleep with women who aren’t awake.” In three of the four cases, police found video taken by Høiby of the women. (He is also accused of filming them without consent.)
His mom, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, his stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, and his half-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus have not been in court for the trial. “Marius Borg Høiby is not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous,” Haakon said in a statement before the trail began. “We care about him, and he is an important member of our family. He is a citizen of Norway and, as such, has the same responsibilities as everyone else — as well as the same rights.”
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