Marius Borg Høiby and his mother, Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, attend a government's party event in 2022 in Oslo, Norway. A Norwegian appeals court has denied Høiby's request to leave custody because of his mothers’ illness. File photo by Lise Aserud/EPA
June 10 (UPI) -- A Norwegian appeals court has denied a request from Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Merit, to leave custody because of his mothers' illness. Høiby is behind bars while he awaits a verdict in his rape trial.
The court overturned a verdict by a lower court Monday that had ordered Høiby's release before the verdict, which is expected June 15. Hoiby, 29, is facing 40 criminal charges and has been in custody since February.
Princess Mette-Merit, 52, has pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung condition, The BBC reported. Her doctors added her to a lung transplant list last week.
"We are very, very disappointed. I find the decision almost incomprehensible," defense lawyer Ellen Holager Andenæs said to Norwegian news outlet VG, as cited by Nine.com.au.
