Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Princess Mette-Marit, was sentenced Monday, June 15, to four years in prison. Oslo District Court charged Borg with roughly 30 charges, including four counts of rape. That same day, he announced he’d appeal the verdict. Days later, word came that the Prosecutor’s Office would also appeal the sentence.
“The Prosecutor’s Office found grounds to ask the Court of Appeal to reassess the evidence on the two rape charges Marius was acquitted of, but after talking it over with defense counsel, we’ve decided not to appeal to the Court of Appeal,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.
Convicted on Two Counts of Rape
Borg faced four rape charges. He was convicted on two and acquitted on the other two, and the Prosecutor’s Office won’t be appealing those acquittals. Prosecutors had pushed for seven years and seven months behind bars, but the court ultimately handed down four.
© LISE ASERUDThe Prosecutor’s Office is still filing an appeal, considering Borg’s sentence too lenient. They want it reconsidered if the case goes back before a judge.
The Risk Around His Release
After the verdict came on June 15, Borg asked to be released, but the request was denied. The judge ruled that he needed to stay behind bars, in part over concerns he would try to contact one of the women involved in the trial, known as the Frogner woman, who has a restraining order against him.
On June 24, the newspaper Aftenposten reported that Borg won’t be appealing his continued detention, meaning he’ll remain in custody until July 13. That date isn’t an automatic release, though. If prosecutors want to keep him in custody past July 13, the court will need to rule on extending his detention.
© LISE ASERUDUnder Norway’s Criminal Procedure Act, someone who’s already in custody when an unconditional prison sentence is released can be held for up to four weeks after that sentence, unless the court decides otherwise. From there, it’s up to the judge whether to extend the detention further.
Borg’s release
If prosecutors don’t request an extension and the court doesn’t issue a new ruling, Borg will walk free once that window closes. As reported by Se Og Hør, the Prosecutor’s Office said: “The Oslo police district will revisit this as the end of the detention period approaches.”
The outlet reached out to Mette Yvonne Larsen, the attorney for the Frogner woman, who declined to comment on how her client feels about Borg’s possible release this July 13. Electronic home monitoring remains on the table, something the sentence allows for as a long-term alternative.
© Ian GavanEllen Holager Andenaes, one of Borg’s attorneys, said of his possible release that “he’s already requested release several times, so it’s clear he’s eager to get out.” His other lawyer, René Ibsen, added that “Marius obviously hopes to be released before July 13. If the Prosecutor’s Office asks for an extension, we’ll ask the court to deny it and release him instead. We don’t have further comment at this time.”
The Visit to Princess Mette-Marit
While Borg has been in pretrial detention, Mette-Marit’s health has worsened. She’s since undergone a lung transplant to survive.
Through the trial, Borg has cited his mother’s health as a reason for his release, but these have been denied time and time again by the court. He was granted a special leave to visit her in person.
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