Overview
- Prosecutors asked the Oslo District Court to sentence Høiby to seven years and seven months, saying four alleged rapes occurred when women were asleep or incapacitated.
- Høiby denies the rape charges but has admitted several lesser offenses, including drug possession, transporting marijuana, traffic violations and breaches of a restraining order.
- Evidence presented included videos recovered from Høiby’s phone, biometric sleep data and hundreds of electronic messages, with prosecutors seeking convictions on 39 of 40 counts.
- Defense lawyers argued Thursday that no evidence proves rape, challenged the credibility of accusers and said extraordinary media scrutiny has distorted perceptions of the case.
- The proceedings have intensified scrutiny of Norway’s royal family as Crown Princess Mette-Marit faced questions over past contact with Jeffrey Epstein, though Høiby holds no royal role.