Overview
- An Oslo district court convicted Marius Borg Høiby of two counts of rape and several other offences and sentenced him to four years in prison, a ruling delivered on Monday.
- Judges acquitted Høiby on two other rape charges after a seven-week trial that relied on self-recorded videos and more than 800 electronic messages entered as evidence.
- Prosecutors had sought seven years and seven months while the defence asked for no more than 18 months; Høiby denied the rape charges but admitted to lesser offences including drug and traffic violations and breaches of a restraining order.
- Høiby remains in custody and his lawyers have said they will appeal, after appeals courts earlier denied requests to release him to visit his seriously ill mother, Crown Princess Mette‑Marit, who is on a national lung transplant list.
- The trial has intensified scrutiny of the Norwegian royal household and dented public support for the monarchy, coming after revelations about the crown princess’s past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and widespread media coverage of the case.