Son of Norway’s crown princess accused of second rape
By Billy Stockwell, CNN
(CNN) — The 27-year-old son of Norway’s crown princess has been accused of a second rape just days after he was arrested on suspicion of the same offense.
Following a detention hearing at Oslo District Court on Wednesday for the first alleged offense, police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski said Oslo Police District had requested that Marius Borg Høiby be held in custody for two weeks as a second alleged rape had come to light.
“The reason for this request is that we have uncovered another rape case overnight and this morning. This was identified in the investigative material,” Oslo police said in a statement to CNN on Thursday.
Police said they are investigating the second alleged incident thoroughly.
“The case involves sexual activity, not intercourse, with a woman who was incapable of resisting the act. This means that we are now investigating two rape cases involving Marius Borg Høiby,” the police added.
A sexual assault of this kind carries a maximum prison term of 10 years, according to Norway’s penal code.
Hoiby’s lawyer, Øyvind Bratlien, told CNN Thursday that his client only pleads guilty to a case of one incident of bodily harm against his last girlfriend, criminal damage in her apartment and a threat.
“For the other circumstances, he does not admit criminal guilt,” Bratlien said.
Høiby was first arrested on Monday night on suspicion of breaking the law relating to “sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons is unable to resist the act,” police said Tuesday.
They specified at the time that this accusation involved carrying out a “sexual act without intercourse” on a victim “said to have been unable to resist the act.”
The first alleged victim is a woman in her 20s who did not know Høiby before she met him on the day of the alleged incident, her lawyer, Hege Salomon, told CNN. She was not in a relationship with Høiby.
Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon told the country’s public broadcaster, NRK, that the situation is affecting everyone around Høiby. “These are serious accusations that Marius is now facing. Today, we are of course thinking of all those affected,” he said.
He added that the police and the judicial system must be given room to do their job. “I trust that they will do that in a good way,” he said.
Høiby was born before his mother, Mette-Marit, married Crown Prince Haakon and became a princess in 2001. He is outside Norway’s line of royal succession.
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.
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