On Saturday afternoon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Høiby (27) was released from detention in Oslo. The charges against him were then expanded to include several counts, and one more person has been given the status of offended in the case. – He was released after it was established that he did not want to explain himself to the police, says police attorney Andreas Kruszewski in the Oslo police district to news later on Saturday afternoon. Kruszewski confirms that Høiby was arrested late on Friday evening at a cabin in Gausdal in the Innlandet police district. – I cannot go into further details beyond confirming that it happened without drama, he emphasizes. – We naturally want to question him at a later date. Marius Borg Høiby was arrested at this cabin in Innlandet. Photo: Ivar Arne Nordrum Suspected of having contacted ex-boyfriend The charge against Høiby was expanded on Saturday to include: Bodily violation, reckless behavior and violation of a restraining order against a former lover. It was after an incident in this woman’s apartment on Frogner in Oslo that Høiby was arrested by the police in early August. Abuse in close relationships against ex-girlfriends Juliane Snekkestad and Nora Haukland. They previously had the status of aggrieved in the case. Threats against one more person. It is the police themselves who have reported this case. This is Marius Borg Høiby charged with: Bodily assault (violence), damage, threats, reckless behavior and violation of a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend. Abuse in close relationships against ex-girlfriend Juliane Snekkestad. Abuse in close relationships against ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland. Høiby is also charged with threats against another person. Four victims are included in the charge. But a total of five people have the status of offended in the case, according to the police. Høiby has also been reported for the theft of a scooter. Høiby was arrested on Friday evening at a cabin. Despite the fact that the charge against him has been expanded to include several points, it was a suspected violation of the restraining order against the woman with an apartment on Frogner that was the basis for the arrest, according to Kruszewski. Police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski in the Oslo Police District says that Marius Borg Høiby will not explain himself to the police. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – He has not complied with the ban, which means that he cannot contact the victim, says the police attorney. – I can confirm that it is a single violation by phone. The police believe they have “reasonable grounds” for suspicion. That is to say, they believe it is likely that Høiby has broken the visiting ban. Kruszewski will not go into concrete evidence they may have against Høiby. According to the police, the breach of the curfew must have occurred on 7 September. On Tuesday 10 September, the police decided to arrest Høiby. Abuse in close relationships The police operation consisted of two parts: the search and the arrest itself, Kruszewski explains. Both happened at the same address. The police prosecutor is tight-lipped about further details of the investigation and arrest. He will not comment on whether seizures have been made in the case, or whether there were more people in the cabin where Høiby was arrested. Marius Borg Høiby and his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit in 2022. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB When it comes to the extension of the charge to cover abuse in close relationships against Juliane Snekkestad and Nora Haukland, there is also “considerable reason for suspicion” behind the police assessment. – This is one of the most serious criminal offenses in the Criminal Code. It is a high priority for the police, emphasizes Kruszewski. Abuse in close relationships includes, among other things, violence and has a penalty of six years in prison. “Reverse discrimination” The police prosecutor will not give further details about the fourth person against whom Høiby has been charged with threats. But it concerns death threats, according to the police. As regards the charge of breaching a restraining order, he does not plead guilty, according to defender Øyvind Bratlien. – The legal basis and the factual basis are terribly, terribly thin, Bratlien said when he met the press at Værnes airport in Trondheim on Saturday. He believes Høiby is exposed to “reverse discrimination”. – A small breach of the curfew would never be grounds for arrest. Normally. Defender Øyvind Bratlien believes Marius Borg Høiby is exposed to “reverse discrimination”. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Bratlien confirms that Høiby has not allowed himself to be formally questioned, but that he does not plead guilty. The defender claims that it is not a question of Høiby refusing to be questioned, as he will be questioned on a later occasion, probably in September. – Høiby has said that he has nothing to do with it, emphasizes Bratlien. The defender is not worried about the extension of the charge. – The suspicion has been there all along. So the fact that the charge has been changed is only a technicality and completely undramatic, says Bratlien. The defender will not comment on where Høiby is now or how he is doing. No further details about the charge either. Police attorney Andreas Kruszewski says that the police have been informed of the defender’s view: – I have noted his views on it. Having said that, we at the public prosecutor’s office are very confident in this rationale. Clarification: According to the police, Marius Borg Høiby did not want to explain himself in a formal questioning on Saturday. Defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien says that the client has told the police that he is not guilty of violating the restraining order. However, Bratlien acknowledges that Høiby has not been questioned, but that he will do so in the future, and that it is not right that Høiby refuses to be questioned. Published 14.09.2024, at 16.20 Updated 14.09.2024, at 19.02
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