KUALA LUMPUR: Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norwegian crown princess Mette-Marit, who was arrested on suspicion of rape on Monday (Nov 19) night, is not new to controversies.
The 27-year-old, who has been accused of committing a sex act with an unconscious or defenceless person, has been arrested three times over the last four months.
The Economic Times reported that Borg Hoiby was detained in August this year after a night-time incident at a woman’s apartment in Oslo and accused of causing bodily harm to the resident, with whom he was having a relationship.
Norwegian media reports said police found a knife stuck into one of the walls of the woman’s bedroom at the time.
Borg Hoiby issued a statement denying that he assaulted two of his former girlfriends, Nora Haukland and Juliane Snekkestad, who came forward after hearing news of his Aug 4 arrest.
While Borg Hoiby admitted to assaulting his current girlfriend, he denied assaulting his two former girlfriends.
He was arrested again in September for allegedly violating a restraining order.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, the Oslo police confirmed that Borg Hoiby was detained and released with more charges after he allegedly contacted one of the victims from a hidden phone number, despite the imposed restraining order.
In September, the Norwegian news outlet Se og Hor reported that Mette-Marit's son was involved in a burglary at the couple's property after he threw a "wild party."
Following the gathering, members of a well-known motorcycle gang reportedly stole private items of both high monetary and personal value to the Crown Prince family.
Borg Hoiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and is the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He has no royal title or official duties.
He used to live with the royal couple and their two children — Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus but lost his access to Haakon's royal Skaugum residence last month, according to the Norwegian publication Aftenposten.
He was compelled to shift into a house at the edge of the forest at Skaugum in Asker, just a few hundred metres from the estate's main building. - Agencies
