A Norwegian court allows Marius Borg Hoiby to wear an ankle bracelet at home while appealing his rape conviction.
OSLO: A Norwegian court on Monday said that Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, could be released from jail with an ankle bracelet pending his appeal against a rape conviction.
Norwegian media reported that the prosecution was looking into appealing the decision, meaning Hoiby would not be able to leave jail until that was processed.
Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship prior to her 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, was sentenced to four years in prison in June on two counts of rape.
He faced 40 charges, from rape to traffic violations, carrying a maximum possible sentence of 16 years in prison, in a high-profile scandal that has rocked the monarchy.
Hoiby appealed the verdict but has remained in custody.
The Oslo district court on Monday ordered that Hoiby’s custody be extended for four weeks. But it said that “electronic monitoring”, meaning an electronic device around his ankle, was sufficient to reduce the risk of him “reoffending”.
“The defendant must remain at home unless he is granted leave to go to work, school, treatment, or to visit sick members of his immediate family,” the court said.
Hoiby, who denied the most serious charges, has been in custody since February and has repeatedly asked to be released to be with his ailing mother, who suffers from a rare lung disease.
Mette-Marit, 52, was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis and on June 17, the Norwegian palace announced she had undergone a successful lung transplant, which she is recovering from.
This year, Mette-Marit has also been plagued by revelations about her friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In January, documents were released revealing her frequent contacts with Epstein between 2011 and 2014 — after he was convicted of soliciting a minor — which shocked Norwegians.
