Marius Borg Høiby Sentenced to Four Years, Media Fine Challenged in Norway

Oslo District Court sentenced 29‑year‑old Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette‑Marit, to four years in prison after finding him guilty on two counts of rape and one count of assault and acquitting him on two additional rape charges. He was ordered to pay compensation to four women. The case involved a total of 40 charges; Høiby appeared via video link due to health reasons and did not attend in person.

In a related development, the weekly magazine Se og Hør announced it is appealing a 24,000 NOK court‑imposed fine for breaching a reporting ban during Høiby’s trial. The fine, the highest among three journalists from Se og Hør, Dagbladet and Aftenposten, was issued for publishing identifying information and photographs in violation of the court’s restrictions. Se og Hør’s editor‑in‑chief Niklas Kokkinn‑Thoresen said the appeal is based on the claim that intent to break the ban is required for a penalty, describing the violation as “an inadvertent slip”. Other journalists from Dagbladet and Aftenposten received 18,000 NOK fines each.