March 22, 2026

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

Show Notes
Transcript

Trial paused Tuesday (judge ill), resumed Wednesday. Prosecution closing arguments: Henriksbø says Marius "not monster... but must be held accountable." Four "sleep rape" allegations detailed. Skaugum woman videos: "appears to be sleeping, absence of sound." Lofoten woman's pulse watch data: woke from deep sleep twice, "just after defendant filmed her genital area." Nachspiel woman: sleeping tablets, "sensed flashes of light." Oslo hotel: "woke from hard blow to genital area." Pattern: "parties, alcohol, voluntary sex. But then women become tired, and he continues anyway." Haukland testimony credible, chokehold eighty times. Frogner woman: "roared like a gorilla," 172 calls after relationship ended. Prosecution seeks 7 years 7 months, convictions on 39 of 40 charges, $104k compensation. Defense closing: "no evidence suggests Marius can be convicted of rapes," seeks 1 year 6 months, acquittal on all rapes. Prosecution response: "absence of rape videos does not imply absence of rape." Trial concludes, Høiby declines final statement. Verdict expected June. Mette-Marit NRK interview: "I was manipulated and deceived." Palm Beach incident: "made me feel so unsafe I called Haakon." Cannot recall what she found when Googling Epstein 2011. "I should have warned more people." Key questions remain unanswered.

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Ah Calorougus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Crown and

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Controversy Norway. This is the week end addition covering all

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the stories from last week. The trial of Marius borg

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Hoebi was supposed to proceed on Tuesday, but the day's

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session was unexpectedly canceled after the presiding judge fell Ill.

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The Oslow District Court confirmed the cancelation and said it

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hoped proceedings would resume Wednesday, with the goal still concluding

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the main hearing by Thursday. Before the interruption, the case

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had entered its final phase, with prosecutors having begun their

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closing arguments on Monday. State Prosecutor Stirla Henrix Bow opened

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with a reminder that while accountability is necessary, demonization is not.

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He told the court, Marius borg Hoeby is not a monster.

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No one is. We are all human, for better and

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for worse. But he must be held accountable for the

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actions he has committed. He continued, we have heard about

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a man who does not respect norms and rules, and

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who are bates with different standards for himself and others

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within a relationship. We have heard about a man who

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takes liberties and does not bother to ask permission or

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make sure he has consent, to take pictures and videos,

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or to have sex one more time because he has

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not had enough. The prosecution's case centers on four allegations

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of what Norwegian law calls sleep rape, meaning sexual less

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committed when a person is asleep or otherwise unable to resist.

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Weyby denies guilt in all four of those charges, repeatedly

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telling the court I do not sleep with women who

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are not awake. Henrix s Bow explained the legal standard

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the court must apply. Told the judges that the law

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focuses on whether the victim was unable to resist the act,

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and that includes situations where a person is unconscious, asleep,

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so intoxicated or drugged that they do not have control

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over their body. The prosecutor then went through the four

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alleged incidents one by one. The first case dates back

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to December twenty eighteen and involves a woman prosecutors referred

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to as the Scalco Woman. According to the prosecution, the

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incident occurred in the basement of the main residence at

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Skullcome Hendrix. Both said several videos were recorded over a

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period of roughly five minutes. She appears to be sleeping.

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There was an absence of sound and an absence of

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reaction from her. He told the court. The woman only

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discovered the recordings years later when police showed them to

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her during questioning. Henrix Boe said her reaction to seeing

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the footage is an important part of the prosecution's case.

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She came into the interview with support and with the

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belief that Marius was a kind and decent person. Then

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she was shown pictures and video. We heard it ourselves.

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She believed material might be artificial intelligence. The second allegation

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involves a woman from Lofferton. Prosecutors say the two had

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consensual sex earlier in the evening before she went to sleep.

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Henrixpo told the court that the digital evidence supports her account.

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The Lofton woman's pulse watch shows that she suddenly woke

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up twice from deep sleep. The first time she woke

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up occurred just after the defendant filmed her genital area.

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He said, the watch data provides objective support for her explanation.

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This is a technical confirmation, an external, objective piece of

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evidence that supports her account. The third alleged incident involves

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a woman prosecutors described as the Nashville woman. According to

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the prosecution, the two had consensual sex before she took

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sleeping tablets and went to bed. Hedricksburgh told the court

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that she later described sensing flashes of light and physical

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contact while she was still asleep. She noticed that she

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had fallen asleep, but she sensed the flashes of light.

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When she woke up the next day, she said she

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felt that he was doing something to her genitals, but

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she was still asleep and unable to react. Police later

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found several videos of the incident on Hoeby's phone. The

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final alleged incident took place in a hotel room in

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Oslo in November twenty twenty four. Henrix Bog told the

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corp the woman had invited Hoeby to the room and

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that they had consensual sex earlier in the night. Before

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she went to sleep. She woke up from a hard

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blow to her genital area. She felt unsafe and uncomfortable,

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but she did not see anything and did not make

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it a topic of discussion. He said. The behavior repeated

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later during the night, more crown and controversy in just

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a moment. Henrix Bough also addressed the broader pattern the

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state believes connects the cases. Speaking about the alleged victim's accounts,

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he said the prosecution believes the evidence shows a recurring scenario.

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It involves parties, alcohol and voluntary sex, but then the

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women became tired and he continues anyway. Beyond the rape allegations,

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prosecutors also discussed accusations involving former girlfriend Nora Hauckland. Henrixpou

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argued that Halklund's testimony was credible. She does not fall

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for the temptation to exaggerate. He said, she explains the

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relationship and the events with restraint and is clear about

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what she remembers and what she does not remember. The

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prosecution presented hundreds of pages of text messages between the two.

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According to Henrix Bo, those messages support the argument that

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the relationship included repeated intimidation and emotional pressure. Hauckland has

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told the court she experienced multiple violent incidents during their relationship,

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including being grabbed by the throat. She has said she

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was put in a choke hold around eighty times. Hoeby

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has acknowledged that he could be jealous and angry, but

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denies that Hauckland was ever afraid of him. The prosecution

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also revisited an earlier confrontation between the two at the

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Palmes Festival in twenty twenty two. Henrix Bough described a

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moment when Hoeby allegedly lost his temper. He became angry

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and threw his phone hard against the metal railing near

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the VIP area. He grabbed Halcland's arm and called her

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insults and told her to come with him. The judge

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asked whether that specific incident alone would be considered criminal.

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Henricksburg replied that it might fall into a lower category.

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Calling your partner a damn how and dragging her with

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force would be a violation in the lower range, but

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even smaller events can form part of the pattern of

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abuse in close relationships. After discussing the Hawkland allegations, the

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prosecution moved on to accusations involving the woman referred to

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as the Frogner woman. Police prosecutor Andreas Kruschski took over

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that portion of the closing argument. He told the court

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the woman had made it clear she had not consented

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to being secretly filmed. She has been clear that she

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did not consent to filming or pictures. She told him

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she did not want to be secretly filmed. The prosecution

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also described episodes of violent outbursts. According to Krishessky, one

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witness described seeing Hoibi in a rage at a nightclub.

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The witness said he roared like a gorilla. Krisski told

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the court another incident involved an argument where Hoiby allegedly

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believed the woman had been unfaithful. He said he was

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looking for her because he thought she was cheating. The

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prosecution says the relationship included repeated intimidation. Henrick'post said the

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pattern fits the legal definition of abuse and a close relationship.

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It is precisely the core of the abuse provision. You

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never quite know when it might explode again. Prosecutors also

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described one moment after the relationship ended. According to the prosecution,

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Hoiby called the woman repeatedly. He panicked, called at least

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one hundred and seventy two times. Krissky said Weeby has

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admitted partial responsibility for some of the allegations related to

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the frognant woman, including the threats and certain other charges,

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but denies more crown and controversy coming up throughout the trial.

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Prosecutors have argued that the evidence shows a consistent pattern

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across multiple incidents and multiple women. They have pointed to

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digital evidence, including videos, images, and physiological data, supporting the

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accounts given in court. On Thursday, following the defense's arguments,

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Prosecutor Henrix Bou made clear that the prosecution's position had

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not changed. He said, I maintain that there is a

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basis to convict the defendant on all accounts we have presented.

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He also pushed back directly on one of the defense's

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central themes, stating the absence of rape videos does not

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imply the absence of rape. Henrix po further warned against

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relying on assumptions about how victims behave, telling the court

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one cannot assume that if women have not behaved in

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line with these rape myths, then what they say is

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not true. The prosecution has argued that the court should

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focus not on isolated moments, but on the totality of

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the evidence presented over the six week trial, and that

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contrast who mean two fundamentally different interpretations of the same

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events is now at the heart of the case. What

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the defense presented on Thursday was not simply a denial

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of the allegations, but a broader strategy. At its core,

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the defense case has been built around the concept of

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reasonable doubt. They have argued that the situations and question

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were complex, involving alcohol, sleep, prior relationships, and ongoing communication

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between the parties. They have challenged the credibility of key witnesses,

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questioned the reliability of digital evidence, and emphasize that in

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several instances the case comes down to competing accounts in

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legal terms, what is often described as word against word.

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They also introduced technical doubt, including questions about sleep data

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from wearable devices and whether short video clips can reliably

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establish whether someone was asleep or awake at multiple points.

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The defense suggested that even if the court finds aspects

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of Hoybi's behavior problematic, that does not automatically meet the

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threshold required for criminal conviction, and this is an important distinction.

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The defense is not required to prove innocence. The task

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is to show that the prosecution has not proven guilt

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beyond a reasonable doubt, and that is now the standard

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the judges must apply. With the trial now complete, the

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case moves into deliberation. The judges are not being asked

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to decide what might have happened or what seems most likely.

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They are being asked to determine what can be proven

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to the required legal standard. They will assess each charge individually.

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That means it is entirely possible for the court to

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convict on some counts and equit on others. They will

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weigh witness testimony, digital evidence, expert analysis, and the competing

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interpretations presented by both sides, and they will do so

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without the daily rhythm of the court room reviewing weeks

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of evidence. In detail, the timeline reflects that complexity. The

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judge indicated that the verdict will likely be delivered in

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early June. When that decision comes, it is widely expected

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that whichever side is to satisfied will consider an appeal,

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meaning the legal process may continue beyond the initial ruling,

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but for now, the trial phase is over. Marius Borgwaybi

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declined to make any final statement. Legal experts say the

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prosecution's requested sen is within the expected range, but it

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depends heavily on whether the court convicts on the rape charges.

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If the court is not convinced beyond reasonable doubt on

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those points, the final sentence could be significantly lower. As

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one legal commentator put it, the sentence level assumes he

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is convicted on the rape charges. That is not a

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given and they have it. We'll have more updates on

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this case as events happen. I'm Mark Francis my thanks

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to John McDermott. This is Crown and controversy Norway

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

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