oslo, norwayReuters —
The son-in-law of Norway’s Crown Prince Prince Haakon was on Monday found guilty of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison after a seven-week trial, further tarnishing the royal family’s once picture-perfect image.
An Oslo court found Marius Borg Hojbi, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Haakon in 2001, guilty of two counts of rape, including one in the basement of the crown prince’s home.
He was also acquitted of two other rape charges.
Hoiby, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges, including rape, but has admitted to the lesser charges and can appeal the sentence.
The prosecution asked for a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison.
The case revealed Hoiby’s drug addiction, homemade videos of sexual encounters and more than 800 electronic messages entered into evidence.
“The court finds that it has been proven that she was unable to resist the act,” Judge John Sverdup Evjestad of the Oslo District Court said while reading the verdict in the case of rape in the crown prince’s home.
Mr Hoiby watched the sentencing via video link from prison, but was unable to see or hear it in court.
Only one of the women who accused him of rape appeared in court to hear the verdict. After the judge told her Hoiby was guilty of rape, she cried and held her eyes with a tissue given to her by her lawyer.
Hoiby’s actions further damaged the royal family’s popularity and public image, which had once been very positive.
It coincided with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s apology in 2008 for maintaining contact with the late convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A Norstat survey conducted on February 21, during the trial period, found that the number of Norwegians who supported preserving the monarchy fell from 70% in January to an all-time low of 60%, while those who wanted a different system of governance rose from 19% to 27%.
The royal family’s popularity rebounded slightly in May, with a Norstat poll showing 64% supported the monarchy and 23% wanted a different system of governance.
The decision comes amid difficult personal circumstances for Hoiby’s mother, Mette Marit, who needs a lung transplant due to pulmonary fibrosis.
