Sawt Falasteen - Norway crown princess's son pleads not guilty to rapes as trial opens

Marius Borg Hoiby, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's 29-year-old son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, stood and muttered a negative response when asked to enter a plea to the four counts of rape.

Clad in green trousers and a green sweater, wearing bold glasses and earrings, Hoiby remained expressionless as his trial got underway, an AFP journalist in the courtroom reported.

Hoiby faces a total of 38 charges, including assaulting ex-girlfriends and a serious drug offence in addition to the four counts of rape, and risks up to 16 years in prison if found guilty.

He pleaded guilty to some of the more minor offences.

He was arrested again on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order, and was remanded in custody for four weeks.

Hoiby's trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19, opened at 9:30 am (0830 GMT) in a courtroom packed with journalists.

The morning's proceedings saw prosecutors read out the charges against Hoiby. In the afternoon, one of Hoiby's alleged victims was to testify behind closed doors.

Hoiby was scheduled to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday.

His mother was drawn into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal at the weekend, after unsealed US documents revealed her apparently close friendship with the convicted sex offender, who killed himself in prison in 2019.

- Treated like anyone else -

Ahead of the trial, prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told AFP that Hoiby would "neither be treated more leniently nor more severely because of his family".

Hoiby was arrested on August 4, 2024 suspected of assaulting his girlfriend the night before.

Several days later, he admitted he had acted "under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument", having suffered from "mental troubles" and struggling "for a long time with substance abuse".

The investigation into that incident uncovered a string of other suspected offences, including the rapes of four women while they were sleeping or passed out drunk, some of which he filmed.

The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 2023 and 2024, the last one after the police investigation began.

In January, police announced six more counts against him, including a "serious narcotics offence" from 2020 in which he confessed to transporting 3.5 kilos (nearly eight pounds) of marijuana.

- Kicks and punches -

The identities of Hoiby's seven alleged victims cannot be disclosed, with the exception of his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland, a model and influencer who has publicly accused him of physical abuse.

Between the summer of 2022 and the autumn of 2023, while the two were in a relationship, Hoiby repeatedly struck her in the face, kicked and punched her, grabbed her by the throat, threw her against a refrigerator and hurled insults at her, according to the charge sheet.

The scandal, among the worst in the history of the Norwegian monarchy, has dealt a blow to its reputation, though it remains broadly popular thanks to King Harald and Queen Sonja -- both 88 -- who are respected as unifying figures.

According to a poll published on Tuesday by television channel TV2, more than 70 percent of Norwegians think the monarchy's standing has been weakened in recent years following various scandals.

The opening of Tuesday's trial coincided with a vote in Norway's parliament on whether to maintain the monarchy, which is expected to be adopted by a wide majority.

Philip Wilson, a 35-year-old security guard and student who talked to AFP on an Oslo street, said the palace had handled the Hoiby scandal "terribly".

"I think the PR firms at the castle have a lot to do," he said.

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit will not attend the trial.

Mette-Marit, torn between her role as mother and future queen, is currently fighting battles on several fronts.

The 52-year-old suffers from an incurable lung disease that makes it hard for her to breathe, and will likely need a risky lung transplant in the future.

She has also faced harsh criticism in recent days over her links with Epstein.

The verdict against Marius Borg Hoiby is expected several weeks after the end of the trial.

C.AbuSway--SF-PST