Norway awaits verdict in rape trial of crown princess's son as Mette-Marit faces lung transplant
Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, will hear his sentence on 40 charges including rape. His mother, gravely ill with lung fibrosis, was placed on a transplant list last week.
Three judges in Oslo District Court will deliver the verdict in the trial of Marius Borg Høiby on Monday. The 29-year-old faces 40 charges, among them four counts of rape that he denies. Prosecutors are seeking a prison term of seven years and seven months; his defence argues for a sentence of one and a half years. Høiby will appear via video link because of unspecified health reasons.
Family in crisis
Crown Princess Mette-Marit suffers from chronic lung fibrosis and was added to a lung transplant list just over a week ago. Norwegian media report that placement on the list implies a life expectancy of roughly one year without a new lung. She now uses an oxygen device daily, and her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, cut short a trip to Japan to be at her side. Princess Ingrid Alexandra returned from her studies in Australia as her mother's condition deteriorated.
Custody battle
Høiby has been in pre-trial detention since early February. An appeal court last week rejected a request to release him so he could visit his ailing mother. The court found there remains "a high probability that Høiby would commit new offences if released", according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. His lawyer was scathing.
We are very, very disappointed and do not understand the decision.
Høiby's legal team may now appeal to the Supreme Court. Police had previously opposed his release, citing the risk of further crimes.
Additional strain on the crown princess
The trial has compounded other pressures on Mette-Marit. German daily Die Welt reported that the scandal surrounding her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has weighed heavily on her in recent months, alongside her illness and her son's legal troubles.
What the verdict means
If the judges follow the prosecution's recommendation, Høiby faces more than seven years behind bars. The defence insists that a far shorter term is warranted for the offences he admits, which include drug possession and traffic violations. The outcome will be a defining moment for the royal household, which has been under intense public scrutiny.
