Norway prosecutor asks for seven years' jail for crown princess's son in rape trial

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.

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.