Marius Borg Høiby admits violence and drugs

“Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment while intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine after an argument,” he writes in a statement to NTB and several media via his defender, lawyer Øyvind Bratlien.

It was NRK who mentioned Høiby’s statements first. Høiby further states that he has struggled with substance abuse for a long time, and that he has previously been treated for this.

“I will now resume this treatment and take it very seriously.”

“The drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment at Frogner on the night of Sunday last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done and will explain myself truthfully to the police.”

The castle will not comment

NTB has been in contact with the Castle, which will not comment on Høiby’s statement.

Høiby is charged with violence and damage after an incident at Frogner in Oslo at the beginning of August. He is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, which is why the media have named him in the coverage of this case.

Høiby also apologizes to his family and says that he takes full responsibility for his actions. He is keen to apologize to the offended party, whom he refers to as “my boyfriend”.

“She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards. Being pursued by photographers and journalists at a time like this, I know has been tough to deal with,” says Høiby.

– She has been waiting for this

The aggrieved woman was aware that Høiby’s statement came today, says the attorney for the aggrieved party, Mette Yvonne Larsen, to NTB.

– She has been waiting for this since I met her. That he should admit what he has done, that he should apologize and lie flat. It has been her desire over time, says Larsen.

– She is having a hard time, but the fact that he is coming out with this now makes it better for her. She is believed.

She adds that her client has not said anything about her and Borg Høiby still being in a relationship.

– I have no information about that, and I do not perceive that they are, she says.

– Publishing in the newspaper does not help

Høiby’s defenders, Øyvind Brattlien, speak up TV 2 that the statement to Borg Høiby is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt.

“He has not formally taken a position on criminal guilt as he has not been questioned, but in reality this is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt after the charge,” he writes in an SMS to the channel.

For assistant lawyer Larsen, this is not enough.

– It doesn’t help to publish in the newspaper. He must be questioned and confess to the police, so that you can have an orderly legal process. The matter does not end there, says the legal aid lawyer.

The woman will be questioned by the police together with her legal aid, but Larsen will not comment on when this will possibly happen.

– The police were not aware of this until it appeared in the media. We also refer to what was said yesterday and today. Beyond that, we currently have no comments, says police prosecutor Henriette Taxt Røstadli to TV 2 on Wednesday afternoon.

Disappointed by media leaks

The violent episode in the apartment at Frogner has been widely discussed in the media in the past week. This has been difficult for the woman, says the legal aid lawyer.

– She is shocked and disappointed by all the leaks that have been in this case. Not least to Se og Hør, where you sit with investigative images, you sit with audio recordings. It is very dramatic for her life.

Se og Hør published pictures of the crime scene this week.

– She knows that it is neither the public prosecutor, the defense attorney nor the police who have leaked this. So she feels very let down by those leaks. She is shocked that Se og Hør uses such methods, and exposes the privacy of young people. It shouldn’t have happened, says Larsen on behalf of his client.

Se og Hør’s editor-in-chief Ulf André Andersen defends the magazine’s methods to TV 2 on Wednesday.

– Our source protection is 100 percent absolute. People who share information with us must be confident about it. We believe that it is press ethically sound to publish these images because this is of great interest and it says something about the drama of the case. It is purely journalistically motivated and we have used ordinary journalistic methods, says the editor to the channel.