More women report partners for abuse in Norway as royal's rape trial begins

Staff at Norway’s largest women’s health organisation have seen a rise in the number of women reporting abuse and sexual assault at the hands of their partners ahead of the rape trial of a member of the royal family, saying they hope the case helps to “break taboos”.

- Miranda Bryant

Marius Borg Høiby, the 28-year-old son of the Norwegian crown princess, is due to stand trial in February on 32 charges including four counts of rape, the domestic abuse of a former partner and the illegal filming of a number of women without their knowledge or consent.

His lawyer, Petar Sekulic, has said that Høiby “denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence”. His client would “present a detailed account of his version of events before the court,” he added.

Høiby, whose mother is the crown princess, Mette-Marit, and whose stepfather is the crown prince, Haakon, Norway’s future king, could face 10 years in prison if he is found guilty of the most serious charges.