"Prosecution Seeks 7 Years for Marius" - The Week In Norwegian Royal News with Mark Francis

0:00 Ah Calorougus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Crown and Controversy Norway. This is the week end addition covering all the stories from last week. The trial of Marius borg Hoebi was supposed to proceed on Tuesday, but the day's session was unexpectedly canceled after the presiding judge fell Ill. The Oslow District Court confirmed the cancelation and said it hoped proceedings would resume Wednesday, with the goal still concluding the main hearing by Thursday. Before the interruption, the case had entered its final phase, with prosecutors having begun their closing arguments on Monday. State Prosecutor Stirla Henrix Bow opened with a reminder that while accountability is necessary, demonization is not.

0:46 He told the court, Marius borg Hoeby is not a monster. No one is. We are all human, for better and for worse. But he must be held accountable for the actions he has committed. He continued, we have heard about a man who does not respect norms and rules, and who are bates with different standards for himself and others within a relationship. We have heard about a man who takes liberties and does not bother to ask permission or make sure he has consent, to take pictures and videos, or to have sex one more time because he has not had enough. The prosecution's case centers on four allegations of what Norwegian law calls sleep rape, meaning sexual less committed when a person is asleep or otherwise unable to resist. Weyby denies guilt in all four of those charges, repeatedly telling the court I do not sleep with women who are not awake. Henrix s Bow explained the legal standard the court must apply. Told the judges that the law focuses on whether the victim was unable to resist the act, and that includes situations where a person is unconscious, asleep, so intoxicated or drugged that they do not have control over their body. The prosecutor then went through the four alleged incidents one by one. The first case dates back to December twenty eighteen and involves a woman prosecutors referred to as the Scalco Woman. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in the basement of the main residence at Skullcome Hendrix. Both said several videos were recorded over a period of roughly five minutes. She appears to be sleeping.

2:06 There was an absence of sound and an absence of reaction from her. He told the court. The woman only discovered the recordings years later when police showed them to her during questioning. Henrix Boe said her reaction to seeing the footage is an important part of the prosecution's case. She came into the interview with support and with the belief that Marius was a kind and decent person. Then she was shown pictures and video. We heard it ourselves. She believed material might be artificial intelligence. The second allegation involves a woman from Lofferton. Prosecutors say the two had consensual sex earlier in the evening before she went to sleep. Henrixpo told the court that the digital evidence supports her account. The Lofton woman's pulse watch shows that she suddenly woke up twice from deep sleep. The first time she woke up occurred just after the defendant filmed her genital area.

2:54 He said, the watch data provides objective support for her explanation. This is a technical confirmation, an external, objective piece of evidence that supports her account. The third alleged incident involves a woman prosecutors described as the Nashville woman. According to the prosecution, the two had consensual sex before she took sleeping tablets and went to bed. Hedricksburgh told the court that she later described sensing flashes of light and physical contact while she was still asleep. She noticed that she had fallen asleep, but she sensed the flashes of light. When she woke up the next day, she said she felt that he was doing something to her genitals, but she was still asleep and unable to react. Police later found several videos of the incident on Hoeby's phone. The final alleged incident took place in a hotel room in Oslo in November twenty twenty four. Henrix Bog told the corp the woman had invited Hoeby to the room and that they had consensual sex earlier in the night. Before she went to sleep. She woke up from a hard blow to her genital area. She felt unsafe and uncomfortable, but she did not see anything and did not make it a topic of discussion. He said. The behavior repeated later during the night, more crown and controversy in just a moment. Henrix Bough also addressed the broader pattern the state believes connects the cases. Speaking about the alleged victim's accounts, he said the prosecution believes the evidence shows a recurring scenario.

4:16 It involves parties, alcohol and voluntary sex, but then the women became tired and he continues anyway. Beyond the rape allegations, prosecutors also discussed accusations involving former girlfriend Nora Hauckland. Henrixpou argued that Halklund's testimony was credible. She does not fall for the temptation to exaggerate. He said, she explains the relationship and the events with restraint and is clear about what she remembers and what she does not remember. The prosecution presented hundreds of pages of text messages between the two. According to Henrix Bo, those messages support the argument that the relationship included repeated intimidation and emotional pressure. Hauckland has told the court she experienced multiple violent incidents during their relationship, including being grabbed by the throat. She has said she was put in a choke hold around eighty times. Hoeby has acknowledged that he could be jealous and angry, but denies that Hauckland was ever afraid of him. The prosecution also revisited an earlier confrontation between the two at the Palmes Festival in twenty twenty two. Henrix Bough described a moment when Hoeby allegedly lost his temper. He became angry and threw his phone hard against the metal railing near the VIP area. He grabbed Halcland's arm and called her insults and told her to come with him. The judge asked whether that specific incident alone would be considered criminal.

5:31 Henricksburg replied that it might fall into a lower category. Calling your partner a damn how and dragging her with force would be a violation in the lower range, but even smaller events can form part of the pattern of abuse in close relationships. After discussing the Hawkland allegations, the prosecution moved on to accusations involving the woman referred to as the Frogner woman. Police prosecutor Andreas Kruschski took over that portion of the closing argument. He told the court the woman had made it clear she had not consented to being secretly filmed. She has been clear that she did not consent to filming or pictures. She told him she did not want to be secretly filmed. The prosecution also described episodes of violent outbursts. According to Krishessky, one witness described seeing Hoibi in a rage at a nightclub.

6:14 The witness said he roared like a gorilla. Krisski told the court another incident involved an argument where Hoiby allegedly believed the woman had been unfaithful. He said he was looking for her because he thought she was cheating. The prosecution says the relationship included repeated intimidation. Henrick'post said the pattern fits the legal definition of abuse and a close relationship. It is precisely the core of the abuse provision. You never quite know when it might explode again. Prosecutors also described one moment after the relationship ended. According to the prosecution, Hoiby called the woman repeatedly. He panicked, called at least one hundred and seventy two times. Krissky said Weeby has admitted partial responsibility for some of the allegations related to the frognant woman, including the threats and certain other charges, but denies more crown and controversy coming up throughout the trial.

7:08 Prosecutors have argued that the evidence shows a consistent pattern across multiple incidents and multiple women. They have pointed to digital evidence, including videos, images, and physiological data, supporting the accounts given in court. On Thursday, following the defense's arguments, Prosecutor Henrix Bou made clear that the prosecution's position had not changed. He said, I maintain that there is a basis to convict the defendant on all accounts we have presented. He also pushed back directly on one of the defense's central themes, stating the absence of rape videos does not imply the absence of rape. Henrix po further warned against relying on assumptions about how victims behave, telling the court one cannot assume that if women have not behaved in line with these rape myths, then what they say is not true. The prosecution has argued that the court should focus not on isolated moments, but on the totality of the evidence presented over the six week trial, and that contrast who mean two fundamentally different interpretations of the same events is now at the heart of the case. What the defense presented on Thursday was not simply a denial of the allegations, but a broader strategy. At its core, the defense case has been built around the concept of reasonable doubt. They have argued that the situations and question were complex, involving alcohol, sleep, prior relationships, and ongoing communication between the parties. They have challenged the credibility of key witnesses, questioned the reliability of digital evidence, and emphasize that in several instances the case comes down to competing accounts in legal terms, what is often described as word against word.

8:36 They also introduced technical doubt, including questions about sleep data from wearable devices and whether short video clips can reliably establish whether someone was asleep or awake at multiple points. The defense suggested that even if the court finds aspects of Hoybi's behavior problematic, that does not automatically meet the threshold required for criminal conviction, and this is an important distinction. The defense is not required to prove innocence. The task is to show that the prosecution has not proven guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and that is now the standard the judges must apply. With the trial now complete, the case moves into deliberation. The judges are not being asked to decide what might have happened or what seems most likely. They are being asked to determine what can be proven to the required legal standard. They will assess each charge individually.

9:21 That means it is entirely possible for the court to convict on some counts and equit on others. They will weigh witness testimony, digital evidence, expert analysis, and the competing interpretations presented by both sides, and they will do so without the daily rhythm of the court room reviewing weeks of evidence. In detail, the timeline reflects that complexity. The judge indicated that the verdict will likely be delivered in early June. When that decision comes, it is widely expected that whichever side is to satisfied will consider an appeal, meaning the legal process may continue beyond the initial ruling, but for now, the trial phase is over. Marius Borgwaybi declined to make any final statement. Legal experts say the prosecution's requested sen is within the expected range, but it depends heavily on whether the court convicts on the rape charges.

10:05 If the court is not convinced beyond reasonable doubt on those points, the final sentence could be significantly lower. As one legal commentator put it, the sentence level assumes he is convicted on the rape charges. That is not a given and they have it. We'll have more updates on this case as events happen. I'm Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Crown and controversy Norway