Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with 4 counts of rape

[ad_1] Marius Borg Høiby, the son of the Norwegian crown princess, has been charged with 32 offences together with 4 counts of rape, a prosecutor has mentioned.

Høiby, whose mom is the crown princess, Mette-Marit, and whose stepfather is the crown prince, Haakon, Norway’s future king, is predicted to face trial early subsequent yr and will withstand 10 years in jail if discovered responsible of essentially the most critical prices.

The costs, made public on Monday, embrace the rape of 4 totally different ladies, home abuse of a former accomplice, and illegally filming a lot of ladies, together with their genitals, with out their data or consent.

He's additionally charged with harassment of police and site visitors violations.

Høiby’s lawyer, Petar Sekulic, who's representing him along with Ellen Holager Andaenæs, mentioned: “Our consumer denies all prices of sexual abuse, in addition to nearly all of the fees relating to violence. He'll current an in depth account of his model of occasions earlier than the court docket.”

In June, Høiby was charged with 23 offences, together with three counts of rape, by the police prosecutor earlier than the case was despatched to the state prosecutor.

Høiby is alleged to have raped 4 ladies between 2018 and November 2024. All of the alleged assaults allegedly befell after consensual intercourse whereas the ladies have been sleeping. Høiby is accused of filming all the ladies throughout the alleged rapes.

As he offered the indictment in opposition to Høiby on Monday, the state legal professional Sturla Henriksbø mentioned: “This case could be very critical. Rape and violence in shut relationships are very critical acts that may depart lasting traces and destroy lives.”

Høiby’s standing as a part of the royal household, he added, would “not imply that he's handled extra leniently or strictly than if related acts have been dedicated by others”.

The utmost penalty for the fees within the indictment is 10 years in jail, Henriksbø mentioned.

The state prosecutor, who is known to have spent the final month and a half deliberating over whether or not Høiby could be indicted and on what prices, mentioned the trial might happen in January over roughly six weeks.

Hoiby doesn't have a royal title and is exterior the road of royal succession. The Norwegian royal court docket mentioned: “It's for the courts to think about this matter and attain a call. We now have no additional remark.”