Høiby back in court – seeking release from custody
Marius Borg Høiby (29) appeared in Oslo district court on Monday to request release or an electronic monitoring bracelet at Skaugum. The police seek to have him remanded in custody for four more weeks.
Høiby back in court – seeking release from custody
Marius Borg Høiby (29) appeared in person in Oslo district court on Monday morning to request release from custody. The court will decide whether he should continue to be held in custody for four more weeks whilst prosecutors and defence counsel dispute the risk of reoffending.
Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been remanded in custody at Ila since 2 February. On 15 June he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for, amongst other things, two rapes, abuse in intimate relationships and violence against the so-called Frogner woman. The sentence has been appealed and is therefore not final.
Defence counsel Petar Sekulic told the press before the hearing that Høiby hopes for release. As a second-best alternative, he is requesting that the remainder of his custody be served under electronic surveillance – an electronic monitoring bracelet – at the family's residence at Skaugum. Sekulic argued that his client has a strong need to be with his family, particularly his mother, who recently underwent a lung transplant. According to the defence counsel, prison visits are too infrequent and too short to provide adequate family support in daily life.
The police and prosecutor Oda Karterud, however, argue that the risk of reoffending has not been sufficiently reduced to make it responsible to release Høiby. They point in particular to the risk of new breaches of the contact ban against the Frogner woman. Oslo police disclosed in a press statement last week that they are working on preventive measures to reduce the risk of further offences, and that their assessment may change as these measures take effect.
The district court has previously concluded that there is a risk that Høiby will contact the Frogner woman if released, and that the risk of him reoffending with violence against her is real. At the same time, the court has suggested that less intrusive measures, such as a contact ban with electronic monitoring, ought to be considered as a replacement for ordinary custody.
The court hearing on Monday began at 10.45 and is subject to reporting restrictions. Høiby arrived at court wearing a white piqué shirt. Both he and the prosecution have appealed the sentence of four years' imprisonment.
Source: VG
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)