OSLO DISTRICT COURT (Nettavisen): From 2 PM, the court will consider whether Marius Borg Høiby should be remanded in custody after being charged with rape.
At 2:39 PM, the court decided to close its doors, as requested by the police. This was not welcomed by defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien, who asked for full access for the press. Thus, the press was asked to leave.
The judge read out the reasons for denying the press access, citing both the risk of evidence tampering and the unusually high media interest in the case.
The judge emphasized that it takes very little for the press’s own investigations, alongside the police investigation, to potentially influence the inquiry.
It was also pointed out that the court believes the press’s interest in Høiby’s private life could lead to pressure on the complainants in the case.
DOORS CLOSED: Anne-Lene Åvengen Hødnebø closed the doors during the custody hearing in the case of rape suspect Marius Borg Høiby.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
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The police rush to an address in the Frogner district of Oslo at 12:30 PM after receiving a report of a violent incident overnight. Almost four hours later, Marius Borg Høiby is arrested
Lawyer Øyvind Bratlien confirms that Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, is charged with bodily harm. Høiby had been released from custody the day before.
The police confirm that a person was arrested but later released from custody. Crown Princess Mette-Marit postpones her trip to the Paris Olympics.
The police inform that the charges involve both bodily harm and property damage, and that there is a relationship between Høiby and the complainant. During the Olympics in Paris, Crown Prince Haakon describes the situation as “a serious matter” – but he does not wish to go into more detail about the case.
Mette Yvonne Larsen is appointed as a support lawyer for the complainant woman. The following day, Larsen states that her client wishes to avoid speculation, seeks peace, and is on sick leave.
The police confirm that Marius Borg Høiby was arrested by the police at Jansløkka school in Asker on August 4 and that he has so far not wished to explain himself regarding the case.
The palace confirms that Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been in contact with the complainant.
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Høiby admits to violence and drug use in a statement, where he calls the complainant woman his girlfriend. In the statement, Høiby says he will resume treatment for mental health issues and substance abuse.
Bratlien calls it an acknowledgment of guilt. The complainant’s support lawyer states that this is something her client has been waiting for. -
The police confirm that an interview with Marius Borg Høiby is planned for the following week, and that his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland has been called in for questioning after she accused him of violence during their relationship.
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The police state that the charges against Høiby may be expanded. Another ex-girlfriend, Juliane Snekkestad, who has also accused Høiby of violence, is being interviewed by the police and has received victim status in the case.
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Haukland receives victim status, as both she and Snekkestad are called in for new interviews. According to the women’s support lawyers, the police are investigating both cases concerning the provisions on violence in close relationships in the Penal Code (§282).
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Nora Haukland claims, according to her support lawyer John Christian Elden, in a six-hour long interview with the police in Oslo that Høiby subjected her to “physical and psychological violence” during their relationship.
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The complainant woman was in another new, three-hour long interview with the police in Oslo. Juliane Snekkestad was also in a new interview.
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The police extend the charges against Høiby to also include threats against the same woman he is already charged with violence against.
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During a visit to the oil fair in Stavanger, Crown Prince Haakon states that the case is serious. The Crown Prince confirms that Høiby, like the rest of the royal family, has a diplomatic passport. The Crown Prince also says that they were aware of “some” of what Høiby himself has described regarding substance and mental health issues.
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Høiby attends his first police interview in Oslo. Afterwards, the defense lawyer states that the client has not taken a stance on the charges against him and that more interviews will be conducted in the time to come.
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Oslo police district takes over responsibility for the investigation, including that related to Snekkestad.
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Marius Borg Høiby is banned from contacting the complainant woman from the violent incident in Frogner earlier in August. He is also removed from the official categories on the royal family’s website.
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The magazine Se og Hør publishes an audio recording from 2023 in which the police had a preventive conversation with Marius Borg Høiby. The police were concerned that he was in contact with known criminals. The deputy chief of police was informed about the Høiby conversation.
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The police state that Høiby was arrested following an alleged violation of the restraining order. He is said to have contacted the complainant woman from a hidden phone number a week earlier. Høiby denies this. The police confirm that the charges against Marius Borg Høiby have been expanded. There are now a total of four complainants in the case.
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Høiby has completed what is so far his last interview. Lawyer Bratlien states that he has gone through a total of eight interviews in various locations and at different times of day to avoid the press.
Høiby has admitted to the violence against the first complainant woman on the night of August 4, as well as threats against a man, but denies guilt for the most serious points in the indictment.
In the interviews, it also emerges that Høiby believes he himself is the victim of violence from ex-girlfriend Juliane Snekkestad. She denies this through her support lawyer.
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Marius Borg Høiby is stripped of his driver’s license. This follows a recommendation from a doctor, according to lawyer Bratlien.
The police begin an investigation of Høiby for rape of a person in a state of unconsciousness. The charges relate to sexual contact without intercourse under Section 291(b) of the Penal Code. The incident is said to have occurred in the summer of 2024 and does not involve one of the women who have previously been complainants in the case. Lawyer Hege Salomon is appointed as the support lawyer for the woman.
Høiby is arrested by the police at 11:12 PM and placed in the central detention facility in Grønland, Oslo. He was arrested in a car along with the woman he was subjected to a restraining order against on September 3. He was driving the car despite having been stripped of his driver’s license on October 31.
The police state that the charges against Høiby have been expanded to also include rape, violation of a restraining order, and driving without a valid driver’s license.
Marius Borg Høiby does not admit guilt for rape, informs his lawyer, Øyvind Bratlien. On the same day, the police conduct another interview with Høiby concerning developments in the case. He remains in detention overnight.
Normally, there is a prohibition on reporting from custody hearings, but the court can lift this. The question of the reporting prohibition has yet to be determined, and the court will address this issue shortly after 2 PM, reporters from Nettavisen at the scene state.
– We want the press to be here. We believe that the case, as it has been presented in the media so far, is very skewed and unbalanced, and we want the press to have full access, Bratlien tells the assembled press corps.
– It takes very little to be remanded in custody in Norway, says Bratlien.
IN PROGRESS: The press must wait outside the courtroom while the court considers whether the case will proceed behind closed doors.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
Read also: From the Høiby custody hearing: – An absurd situation
PRESENT: Press representatives from all the major newsrooms in Norway were present to observe the custody hearing in the case where Marius Borg Høiby is charged with rape. Defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien wants the press to be allowed to attend.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
Høiby will personally attend the district court to observe the meeting. This means he will be placed in a cell before being brought into the courtroom, as all prisoners are.
The Crown Princess’s son is thus treated just like terrorism suspect Arfan Bhatti, terror convict Zaniar Matapour, hash smuggler Gjermund Cappelen, and other major criminals.
Høiby’s lawyer was on his way to the court proceedings when he learned of the postponement to 2 PM on Wednesday:
EXTREME PRESSURE: There is a significant media presence before the custody hearing in the Marius Borg Høiby case.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
Just before the actual court meeting starts, it is the judge who calls him up. Høiby is then escorted in by two prison officers or two police officers. Oslo District Court has a special group of police personnel who work at the house.
When he enters the courtroom, one officer is positioned right near him, and it is also common for the other officer to sit by the main entrance to the courtroom.
Marius Borg Høiby will personally attend the court during the custody hearing in connection with the case where he is charged with rape. Høiby opposes detention.
Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen (NTB)
In the basement, there are around 20 cells in addition to three lawyer offices. In such an office, it is common for the suspect and the lawyer to meet before a court session.
The cells reserved for those over 18 have a separate toilet and a concrete bench.
Support lawyer Hege Salomon represents the complainant in the case where Høiby is charged with rape.
– She is having a really tough time. She is in a very difficult situation. In addition to having been subjected to the criminal act, she has the enormous burden of media coverage, Salomon tells Nettavisen.
And continues:
– And the fact that she is afraid that people will find out who she is and disclose where she lives. So I strongly urge to protect her privacy.
Hege Salomon assists the complainant woman in the case where Marius Borg Høiby is charged with rape.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
– I am here primarily to gather information about what is said. So I will not have a central role today.
Salomon had no comment on how her client feels about Høiby opposing detention.
Defense attorney: – No basis for detention
Øyvind Bratlien is Marius Borg Høiby’s defense attorney.
He informs Nettavisen that Høiby opposes detention.
The defense attorney also states:
– We will show the court that the case looks different and is much more nuanced than what one gets the impression of through media coverage. I believe there is no basis for detention.
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Lawyer Øyvind Bratlien is the defense attorney for Marius Borg Høiby.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
The police found videos
The rape Høiby is currently charged with is said to have occurred at the complainant’s home in Oslo earlier this year. The indictment states the time as 8:10 AM, March 24.
The police are able to time-stamp the incident because they have secured videos of the alleged rape from Høiby’s mobile phone, according to Nettavisen’s information.
According to TV 2, which first reported on the case, the woman has confirmed in the interview that it is her who appears in the videos.
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The police found videos of the alleged rape on Høiby’s phone
Royal expert: – Absurd
Nettavisen’s royal expert, Tove Taalesen, tells Nettavisen that this will follow the Crown Prince couple for a long time.
– This is a unique and absurd situation for the royal house. This affects the family, but also the institution. This will forever follow the Crown Prince couple’s history, says Taalesen.
– It is important to remember that it is not the royal house that is in the custody hearing. It is the private individual, Marius Borg Høiby. There has never been a similar situation in Norwegian history. It is also attracting international attention.
Nettavisen’s royal expert Tove Taalesen believes the Marius Borg Høiby case lacks a parallel in Norwegian history.
Photo: Martin Habbestad (Nettavisen)
What are the key arguments presented by Marius Borg Høiby’s defense attorney in the custody hearing?
Sen. The videos are said to be a critical part of the evidence in the case.
Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is facing serious charges that have attracted significant media attention. His defense attorney argues that the case is more nuanced than portrayed and contends that there is no sufficient basis for Høiby’s detention.
The court is considering whether to allow media reporting on the custody hearing, a typical practice in such cases due to the sensitivity of the matter at hand. The presence of the press is deemed important by the defense to ensure “fair coverage,” as stated by Høiby’s attorney, Øyvind Bratlien.
Meanwhile, the complainant, represented by lawyer Hege Salomon, faces immense pressure as a result of the media’s focus on the case. Emotional and psychological impacts on the complainant are a significant concern, especially with the ongoing public scrutiny.
As the situation develops, both legal representation and interested observers remain attentive to the proceedings in the Oslo District Court, where the case is being heard. The outcome of the custody hearing could have far-reaching implications for both parties involved.