OSLO: A Norwegian appeal court on Wednesday (Jun 10) overturned a lower court’s decision to release the son of ailing Crown Princess Mette-Marit ahead of the June 15 verdict on 40 charges against him including rape and assault.
A judge had on Monday agreed to 29-year-old Marius Borg Hoiby’s request to be released from custody to be with his 52-year-old mother, who has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after her health worsened.
She suffers from a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease that causes breathing difficulties.
Hoiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, stood trial from February 3 to March 19 and has been in custody since February 1.
He faces 40 charges, including the rape of four women, that carry a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.
Prosecutors had appealed Monday’s ruling granting his release, and Hoiby remained in custody pending the latest decision.
The Oslo appeals court ruled there was “still a strong likelihood that Hoiby would commit new crimes if he is released”.