Skip to main content

Stepson of Norway's crown prince denies drugging alleged rape victim

The son of Norway's crown princess denied in court on Thursday that he ever drugged the alleged victim of one of the rapes he is charged with, on his second day of testimony in a trial that has transfixed Norway. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, is charged with 38 counts. He faces years in prison if convicted. On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. He pleaded guilty to offensive sexual behaviour, driving too fast and driving without a valid licence. Hoiby also said he was partially guilty — a plea allowed under Norwegian law — of aggravated assault and reckless behaviour. On Wednesday, he denied that videos on his phone showed acts of rape and broke down as he recalled a childhood in the public eye. Read More: Son of Norway's crown princess denies rape, admits lesser charges in court The trial comes with his mother facing scrutiny over fresh r...
Post a Comment

Stepson of Norway's crown prince denies drugging alleged rape victim

The son of Norway's crown princess denied in court on Thursday that he ever drugged the alleged victim of one of the rapes he is charged with, on his second day of testimony in a trial that has transfixed Norway. Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, is charged with 38 counts. He faces years in prison if convicted. On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. He pleaded guilty to offensive sexual behaviour, driving too fast and driving without a valid licence. Hoiby also said he was partially guilty — a plea allowed under Norwegian law — of aggravated assault and reckless behaviour. On Wednesday, he denied that videos on his phone showed acts of rape and broke down as he recalled a childhood in the public eye. Read More: Son of Norway's crown princess denies rape, admits lesser charges in court The trial comes with his mother facing scrutiny over fresh revelations about her ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which has damaged the popularity of the royal family, though most Norwegians still want a monarchy. Search history On Thursday, Hoiby answered questions about the search history on his phone, including for words such as "rape". "Is this something you are interested in?" asked prosecutor Sturla Henriksboe. "I have looked at a lot of weird stuff," Hoiby answered, wearing jeans and a marine blue jumper over a white T-shirt, sometimes fiddling with a beaded bracelet between his fingers. On Wednesday, the trial focused on the count of rape alleged to have taken place in 2018 in the basement of the Crown Prince family's residence on the outskirts of Oslo. The alleged victim said she was certain she had been drugged. A courtroom sketch shows Marius Borg Hoiby during the first day of the trial against him, which takes place at the Oslo District Court in Oslo, Norway February 3, 2026. REUTERS "Did you dope her down?" Henriksboe asked on Thursday. Also Read: Norway parliament supports monarchy despite scandals "Never," replied Hoiby. Henriksboe then asked Hoiby whether he knew of drugs that could "dope down", such as ketamine, and whether he could have access to them. Hoiby said he knew of such drugs and could probably have access to them. John Christian Elder, the lawyer representing the alleged victim, asked Hoiby his thoughts about the fact that he is charged with counts of rape occurring when the alleged victims were sleeping or unconscious. "I don't remember that episode so I don't know whether there was consent or not," said Hoiby, referring to the alleged rape in 2018. Embattled Royal Family Outside the courtroom, polls conducted this week showed the monarchy's popularity is taking a hit, though a majority of Norwegians still prefer it over a republic. Crown Princess Mette-Marit is seen as unfit to become queen for 44% of Norwegians polled, with 35% uncertain and 22% saying she is suitable, according to a Norstat survey of 1,025 Norwegians for public broadcaster NRK and daily Dagbladet published on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 54% Norwegians said Norway should remain a monarchy while 33% said it should become a republic, according to a poll for daily Aftenposten conducted from February 2-3 among 1,024 respondents.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/KbjH1V9
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Chinese defence chiefs hold first talks since 2022

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke via video teleconference Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in their first engagement in more than a year, the Pentagon said. They discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global security issues, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters. "During the discussion, Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the US and the People's Republic of China. "He also underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, especially in the South China Sea, and reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows," Ryder added. Read also: US, China need 'tough' conversations, Yellen tells Chinese premier Austin reiterated that the US remains committed to its One China Policy, which is guide...
Post a Comment
Read more