What do we know about what happened? Marius Borg Høiby was at a woman’s home in Frogner on the night of Sunday 4 August. According to news’s sources, Høiby was there sometime between 01:00 and 03:00 when the bodily harm occurred. – There is talk of a stranglehold and blows, says aid lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen to news. The police have not confirmed this. The woman is on sick leave and has been under medical supervision. She has not been admitted to hospital, nor has she requested a restraining order. – She is doing well, physically, says Larsen ten days after the incident. On Sunday 4 August at 12.30 a friend of the victim contacted the police and reported the incident. Based on information from the offended woman and investigations in the apartment, the police decided to report Høiby and arrest him for bodily harm. The charge was later extended to cover damage to the apartment. By agreement, they met at Jansløkka school, right by Skaugum, and Høiby was arrested at 4.10pm. “He met there by agreement with the police, who had contacted him by phone a short time before. The arrest took place calmly,” the police state in a press release. He was released on Monday 5 August at 15:39. What is he charged with? According to the charge to the police, Høiby will have exposed the woman to violence and caused damage in the apartment on Frogner in Oslo. The police seized a knife in the apartment. Høiby is charged with bodily harm and damage. WISH TO INTERVIEW HØIBY: Police Inspector Henriette Taxt Røstadli. Photo: Hanna Johre / news Bodily violation is to use violence against another person, or insult the person physically. Physical abuse can be anything from spitting on someone to pinching, shoving, hitting or kicking. Bodily violation does not have to involve physical contact, and can, for example, be stone throwing or being run over, according to Lovdata.no. Damage means to damage or destroy someone else’s property. What punishment does he face? A common sentence for bodily harm is between 30 and 120 days in prison. If the act is considered serious, the penalty can be increased and adjusted up to six years in prison. The penalty for damage is fines or imprisonment for up to one year. Serious damage can be punished with fines or up to six years in prison. – Punishment for bodily harm can vary from a fine to a few months’ unconditional imprisonment. In practice, it doesn’t take very much before there is a question of a short unconditional prison sentence if violence is used, says Heidi Reisvang, lawyer at Elden Advokatfirma. – The normal range is below 60 days in prison, but if it is a question of unprovoked violence that is in the borderline area up to bodily harm, the punishment is usually from 90 days in prison. If there are also threats, this will result in a somewhat stricter punishment. Damage is basically something you get a fine for, she says. Reisvang notes that she does not know the specific circumstances of the case, and that individual circumstances could have an impact on both the type of punishment and the length of it. She says that a confession in police interrogation will mean that the court can later give him a reduced sentence, and the size of it will depend, among other things, on the extent to which it facilitates the police’s investigation and clears up the case. – What does possible drug treatment mean for sentencing? – If you have drug problems, it could have an impact on the type of punishment you are given. In some cases, you can be given a suspended sentence on the condition of follow-up in a substance abuse program/treatment if you are motivated and suitable for it, says Reisvang. What does Marius Borg Høiby say about the charge? Marius Borg Høiby made a personal statement to news on Wednesday afternoon. “Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument. I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past. I will now resume this treatment and take it very seriously,” writes Høiby. He writes that he wants to take responsibility for what he has done, and that he will explain himself truthfully to the police. “For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend,” he writes. The woman’s legal aid lawyer writes in an SMS to news that they will no longer have a relationship. Høiby’s statement came as a surprise as he has not yet been questioned by the police. – He has not formally taken a position on criminal guilt as he has not been questioned, but in reality this is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt after the charge, writes defense attorney Øystein Bratlien to news. An interview has been arranged for both Marius Borg Høiby and the offended woman next week. Can the charge be dropped if the victim so wishes? No. It is the police who have reported Høiby. The offended woman can refuse to explain herself to the police, but she has a duty to explain herself in court. If it had been a marriage-like relationship, you are exempt from the obligation to testify in court. (Read more about the obligation to testify further down in the case). Why is he identified in the media? EXPLANATOR: Subject editor Marius Tetlie at news. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news As a general rule, the press must be careful when using names and images of people involved in criminal cases, especially in an early study of the case. This is stated in the ethical regulations of the press, the Vær varsom poster. news has nevertheless chosen to mention the charge against Marius Borg Høiby. He is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and is therefore a member of the royal family, although he has no official role in the royal household. The Crown Princess, who is a member of the royal household, has a special role and position in Norwegian society. news therefore believes that it is justified to inform the public that her son has been charged with bodily harm and damage. The case has also affected the Crown Princess’s performance of official duties. It is important to emphasize that Marius Borg Høiby has been charged, and not convicted. – As we see it, Marius Borg Høiby has a right to greater protection of his privacy than the crown prince couple or the royal couple have. He has no official role. But how public he is can also be discussed, says specialist editor Marius Tetlie in news and continues: – He figures at a number of gatherings, he has an open profile on Instagram with 60,000 followers. So he partly has an activity in the public eye, even if he does not do so in the capacity of representing the royal house. So there are a number of dilemmas here, but basically; he has a claim to a greater degree of protection, says Tetlie. DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNITY IN THE ROYAL FAMILY: Princess Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald arrive at the dinner in connection with the princess’s official day at Deichman in Bjørvika. Marius Borg Høiby is part of the royal family, but not the royal house. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Does Marius Borg Høiby have immunity? No. Borg Høiby is not part of the royal house, but still a member of the royal family by virtue of being Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son. King Harald has immunity. The king “cannot be blamed or accused”, it says in section 5 of the Constitution. This applies regardless of whether he acts as part of the state power or as a private individual. The king can still choose to, for example, adopt a fine if he is caught driving too fast. The immunity does not only apply to the king. Princes and princesses can only be held accountable to the King or the person he appoints to judge them, it says in section 37 of the Constitution. Must Mette-Marit be questioned? Crown Princess Mette-Marit has an important role, not only because she is the mother of Marius Borg Høiby, but also because she spoke to the offended woman after the incident. She can thus sit with important information about what the victim has explained shortly after what is supposed to have happened in the apartment at Frogner. The question is whether she has a duty to explain. – We must distinguish between statements to the police (interrogation) and statements to the court. Nobody has a duty to explain to the police, but ordinary witnesses have a duty to give to the court, says district court judge Ina Strømstad. Relatives of an accused person, such as a mother, do not have an obligation to explain to the police or to the court. The next of kin may still wish to explain themselves, if the person concerned so wishes. news has asked the Palace if Mette-Marit wants to be questioned, but has not yet received an answer. What has the royal house said about the incident? Crown Prince Haakon commented on the matter on 7 August. He was then in Paris to watch the Olympics. Crown Princess Mette-Marit traveled down later because of the case. – It is a serious matter when the police are involved. At the same time, it is not right to go into details. This affects me too, but I am here to cheer on our team in the Olympics, he said. BLACK IN PARIS: Crown Prince Haakon commented on the case with Marius Borg Høiby. The castle has not given advice to Marius Borg Høiby in the matter. – The royal court has not advised Marius Borg Høiby in any way in the matter, writes the Palace’s communications manager Guri Ofstad Varpe in an e-mail to TV 2. Is Marius Borg Høiby going to the wedding of Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett? It is still unknown. The wedding is in Geiranger on 31 August. There will be information about the royal house’s participation in the wedding next week. We do not know if there will be any information about Marius Borg Høiby. Published 15.08.2024, at 16.29
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Marius Borg Høiby charged – must Mette-Marit testify? – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
