Marius Borg Høiby denies assaulting two of his ex-girlfriends

Marius Borg Høiby - the Crown Prince of Norway's troubled step-son - has denied criminal liability for abuse in close relationships against two women - Nora Haukland and Juliane Snekkestad; and claims he himself has been a victim.

Crown Princess Mette-Maritt's son from a previous relationship, often referred to as the 'black sheep' of the royal family, has now been questioned in eight police interviews, his defence lawyer Øyvind Bratlien told TV2.

Earlier this month, the 27-year-old was taken into custody after breaching a restraining order.

The restraining order in question was for the protection of Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, whom Borg Høiby admitted to assaulting, in a booze and drug-fuelled attack on 4 August, which saw him arrested for the first time and held in a police cell overnight. 

The order was not made immediately after the attack, but after Borg Høiby reportedly contacted the victim on several occasions following the assault.

According to Norwegian tabloid Se Og Hor, Borg Høiby allegedly contacted his victim, whom he has previously referred to as his 'girlfriend', on Saturday, September 7, from a hidden telephone number. 

In a statement via his lawyer, Borg Høiby has strenuously denied the claim. Defender Øyvind Bratlien slammed the arrest as being made on 'thin' evidence and accused the police of 'reverse discrimination'.

As reported by The Telegraph, on September 13 Marius was arrested - and was said to have been released the following day.

Meanwhile the charges against Borg Høiby have expanded to also include three more alleged victims, after other women came forward in the wake of his arrest. 

Two have been named as Borg Høiby's exes Juliane Snekkestad and Nora Haukland.

However, Borg Høiby 'does not plead guilty in the cases where Haukland and Snekkestad are offended', Bratlien told TV2. 

Furthermore, the defence lawyer says Borg Høiby claims to have faced abuse in a past relationship as well.

'Borg Høiby has explained himself about three turbulent relationships where he of course takes his share of the responsibility for it being so,' Bratlien stated.

'In the interrogations, he has explained himself about abuse in close relationships from at least one of the offended ladies.'

The lawyer would not elaborate further on the claim.

Bratlien also expressed that Borg Høiby is 'ready to receive help' for his 'substance issues'.

'It has been a tough and difficult few weeks for everyone, which has made it difficult for him to focus fully on his own problems. Now that the interrogations have been completed, he will shortly begin full-time rehabilitation, as he has wished,' he wrote.

In August, Nora claimed that Borg Høiby 'punched, strangled and kicked' her during their relationship. 

The influencer, 27, who found fame after winning Norway's Love Island in 2020, started dating Borg Høiby for just over a year before going their separate ways last summer.

She said: 'I thought I would keep my mouth shut until my ex's statement came out, and then I felt a great sense of frustration. Marius speaks as if this is the first time it has happened. 

'He asks for some kind of empathy, "I'm going to get help, I'm struggling, my girlfriend" and all of this felt very familiar. He also said he should get help when I left him,' she claimed in the clip, according to Norwegian magazine Se og Hør.

She added: 'Marius has been physical towards me. He has punched me in the face. He's kicked me, he's strangled me, he's trashed my apartment. He has also destroyed things in Mum's new house.'

Nora also referred to the allegations made by Borg Høiby's ex-girlfriend Juliane Snekkestad, who accused him of 'psychological and physical violence' in an Instagram Story earlier in the month.

'But as Juliane said, the very worst thing for me was also the psychological part. Yelling, the threats,' said Nora.

She continued: 'I see him pretending that this is a one-off case and that he is only taking responsibility for something that is public. It bothers me. 

'I also want to say a big thank you to Juliane who stood up, she found a strength that is absolutely incredible and I wouldn't have been able to publish this if she hadn't done the same and been there. 

'And so I hope that everyone who experiences intimate partner violence finds the strength to leave, because it is very rare that it gets better.'

Earlier this summer, Borg Høiby's ex-partner, model Juliane Snekkestad, 29, released her own statement about the case on Instagram, claiming to have been 'subjected to psychological and physical violence by the person in question'.

Sharing a post on her Stories, the model said: 'The last few days have been strange and painful. In the last week I have received a lot of phone calls; messages... regarding my ex's order.

'First, I would like to send warm thoughts to those affected by the case. Although the closest family and friends have known about this, I now no longer choose to remain silent. Because I actually can't keep silent any longer.

'And to answer the clues: Yes. I have previously been subjected to psychological and physical violence by the person in question. Where the psychological violence was most brutal for me. 

'I'm not sharing this because I want pity... Or to put the focus on me... This has happened before. And this must be stopped now,' her statement read, when translated from Norwegian to English.

The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Borg Høiby's first arrest at the beginning of August, after Rebecca Helberg Arntsen was left in hospital with her injuries following the attack.

A week after his arrest, Borg Høiby sensationally admitted to the assault on Rebecca, whom he referred to as his 'girlfriend' (her lawyers have refuted this claim). 

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In a statement issued via his own lawyer, Borg Høiby said he suffers from 'several mental disorders' and has 'struggled with substance abuse for a long time', which he said he is resuming treatment for. 

The statement read: 'Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument.

'I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past.

'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.

'For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.' 

Mette-Marit's eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have 'greatly affected you'.

Borg Høiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, was raised by his mother and stepfather with his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, but unlike them he has no official public role.

The arrest and his admission cast a shadow over the recent royal wedding in Norway as Princess Martha Louise wed American Shaman Durek Verrett on August 31 in Geiranger Fjord.

Ahead of the nuptials, the Norwegian palace confirmed Borg Høiby would not be attending the wedding with his mother, stepfather and half-siblings. Norwegian media later reported that the former motor mechanic had turned down the invitation to attend an Italian wedding of the son of a billionaire and an influencer.

However, when news of the assault and arrest came to light, Borg Høiby was uninvited from that wedding after guests threatened to pull out if he was in attendance.  

Marius arrived in Pisa ahead of the wedding of Karianne Vilde Spetalen and Kristian Spetalen, both 30. 

It is believed that guests thought Norwegian press would travel to Italy to document the wedding if Marius was present, a circumstance some did not feel comfortable with.

Sources told Se og Hør that Norwegian influencer Karianne also faced backlash from her family regarding Marius's planned attendance.

The scandal of the Norwegian royal family's 'black sheep' Borg Høiby's arrest has damaged some Norwegians' affection for their monarchy, MailOnline previously revealed.

Traditionally the people of Norway are even more fervent royalists than Brits, but we found that young people in particular were less forgiving of Borg Høiby's behaviour.