The eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday after being convicted of rape.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was found guilty of two of the four rape charges he was facing and acquitted of the other two.
He was also convicted of assault and abuse in close relationships. In addition to the prison sentence, Høiby was ordered to pay compensation to the victims.
He is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and is the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
He faced a total of 40 criminal charges, including some for lesser offences, such as assault, drug-related crimes and violations of a restraining order.
Høiby had denied the rape allegations but admitted to several of the lesser offences.
Prosecutors had asked Oslo District Court to sentence him to seven years and seven months in prison, while defense lawyers had argued that he should be acquitted of the rape allegations and receive no more than 18 months for offences he had admitted to.
The sentence is not final and Høiby can still appeal.
Høiby was not present in court on Monday because of health reasons. He watched the reading of the verdict via a video link from prison.
The six-week trial concluded in March after testimony from multiple accusers and presentation of evidence, including messages, images and videos from Høiby’s cellphone.
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