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Son of Norway crown princess detained for week in rape probe

Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, remanded in investigative custody for rape accusations, as lawyer denies charges

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Born of a relationship before Mette-Marit’s marriage to Prince Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby was arrested on Monday evening on suspicion of rape. File photo: AFP

The son of Norway’s crown princess will be jailed for up to one week while police investigate accusations of rape made against him, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

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Police on Monday detained Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, and said he was suspected of having had sexual encounters with two women who were either unconscious or incapacitated.

Each accusation of rape concerned a “sexual encounter without intercourse”, a police spokesperson said without elaborating.

Hoiby’s lawyer, Oeyvind Bratlien, said his client was innocent and was opposed to being held in preventive detention.

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon. Photo: EPA-EFE
Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon. Photo: EPA-EFE

It was not immediately clear if Hoiby would appeal the court’s decision to place him in preventive detention.

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Investigators had sought permission to hold him for up to two weeks.

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