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Paul KirbyEurope digital editor
NTB/AFP via Getty Images
State Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø has said the defendant is "not a monster" and must be judged on what he has done
Prosecutors in the trial of Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, have requested a jail term of seven years and seven months, arguing he should be found guilty of 39 of the 40 charges he is accused of.
The 29-year-old denies the most serious charges, which include four counts of rape as well as serious assault.
The trial, which began in early February, is due to come to an end this week and the three judges will then retire to consider their verdicts.
Hoiby was in court on Wednesday as the prosecution wrapped up its case. He was born before his mother married Norway's crown prince in 2001, and grew up within the royal family without being a member of it.
He maintains that he had consensual sex with all four women before the alleged rapes took place. His defence lawyers were due to begin summing up their case later.
The defendant has pleaded guilty to some of the lesser offences, which include a drugs charge, traffic offences and breaching a restraining order.
He has partially admitted a charge of seriously assaulting a woman in her flat but has denied charges of criminal abuse related to his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland, with whom he maintained a close relationship.
The trial at Oslo district court has lasted almost seven weeks and every day of evidence has been front-page news in Norway.
Giving evidence last week, the crown princess's son complained of the immense pressure of media coverage of the trial and how he had become an object of hatred. "I'm not Marius any more, I'm a monster," he said.
When the case began at the start of February, the crown princess was herself in the public spotlight over revelations surrounding contacts with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
NTB/AFP
A court sketch shows Marius Borg Hoiby early on in the trial
Starting his summing-up on Monday, state prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø said Høiby was "not a monster" and should be judged for what he had done, not for who he was.
Going through the charges on Wednesday, Henriksbø and police attorney Andreas Kruszewski recommended the punishments they believed Høiby should face.
Three of the rape charges should command a two-year term in jail, and a fourth should receive a three-year term, Henriksbø told the court.
In three of the cases police found videos taken of the women at the time. He is accused of filming them without consent, and the condition of the women at the time of the four alleged rapes has become a significant element of the trial.
The state prosecutor said on Wednesday that the fact that sexual intercourse had taken place beforehand was not relevant to the case. He also told the court that the charges of rape and abuse in close relationships were very serious offences that required a response.
"Rape can leave lasting scars and destroy lives," he said.
While the defendant's lawyers have denied the most serious charges of rape and assault, commentators believe that he is likely to receive a reduced sentence for offences he has admitted to in court.
One of them is transporting 3.5kg of marijuana, with others involving reckless driving and driving without a valid licence. The drug charge itself could command a sentence of 11 months in jail.
