Norwegian prosecutors had initially refrained from appealing the relatively short jail sentence handed down to Marius Borg Høiby, after he was acquitted of two out of the four rapes he’d been charged with. The prosecution didn’t want to subject Høiby’s victims to another lengthy trial, but after Høiby himself appealed his conviction on the two other rapes, they changed their minds.
Now the prosecution, which had sought at least a seven-year jail term for Høiby, has appealed the four-year term Høiby received. “We want a new evaluation of the punishment, since the appeals court will be hearing the case regardless,” lead prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø told news bureau NTB after Høiby had filed his own appeal. Henriksbø noted that jail terms for those convicted of rape and domestic violence seem to be lower than those sought by prosecutors. He and his colleagues want to know why.
Høiby, son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, accepted his conviction on a variety of other charges, including assault, vandalism, reckless driving and drug-related offenses. He has remained in police custody to prevent him from violating restaining orders against an earlier girlfriend. His new appeals trial is expected to take place next year.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
