The district court in Oslo announced its verdict on Marius Borg Høiby (29) on Monday morning: The son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit (52) was sentenced to four years in prison - for two counts of assault and bodily harm. He was acquitted of two assault charges, as reported by "VG" among others.
Høiby not in the courtroom
The 29-year-old did not appear in person in the courtroom, but followed the verdict announcement via video link from prison "for documented health reasons", as had been confirmed in advance. According to reports, Høiby was admitted to a hospital last week. His defense attorney later explained that the defendant would not be alone during the verdict announcement, but would be accompanied by a colleague at the prison. As "Dagbladet" reported in advance, only one of the affected women would be present at the announcement.
For seven weeks, the Crown Princess's eldest son sat in the dock at Oslo District Court. He faced 40 charges - including domestic violence, four counts of assault, acts of violence, property damage, violation of a restraining order, and a drug offense. The 29-year-old admitted to some of the facts contained in the indictment, but denied criminal responsibility for the most serious charges. His defense attorneys requested acquittal on 15 of the 40 charges, including the cases of assault and abuse in close relationships. The prosecution demanded a prison sentence of seven years and seven months.
Request for release from pretrial detention was denied
Most recently, Høiby had requested to be released from pretrial detention in order to be with his seriously ill mother. Crown Princess Mette-Marit suffers from the incurable lung disease pulmonary fibrosis. Her condition has deteriorated significantly in recent times and she has been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant. However, an appeals court denied Høiby's request. There remains a high probability that he would commit new crimes if released, reported Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
