Marius Borg Hoiby, the 27-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been arrested on suspicion of rape. He was taken into custody on Monday in Oslo on a preliminary charge of having sexual intercourse with someone unconscious or unable to resist the act, CNN reported. Police specified that he is accused of carrying out a “sexual act without intercourse” on a victim “said to have been unable to resist the act.” Authorities have not disclosed when the alleged rape took place. 

The alleged victim, a woman in her 20s, didn’t know Marius Hoiby before meeting him on the day of the incident, according to her lawyer, Hege Salomon. She also wasn’t in a romantic relationship with Hoiby.

Hoiby pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was cooperating with the police and wanted to explain himself, his defence attorney Oyvind Bratlien told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the alleged victim’s lawyer, Hege Salomon, said that the woman “is having a hard time” and said that police had brought the case, not her client.

“We do not have a comment on this case and direct all questions to police and attorney for Marius Borg Hoiby,” Simen Sund, Communications Advisor for the Royal Palace, told NBC News.

This isn’t Hoiby’s first run-in with the law as he was previously detained in August for bodily harm and criminal damage. He was arrested again in September for allegedly violating a restraining order.

In August, he issued a statement saying he had “struggled with substance abuse for a long time”. He said he would “resume” treatment for the problem and “take it very seriously”.

Notably, Hoiby was born in 1997 from a relationship prior to Mette-Marit’s 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne. He and his step-siblings — Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20 and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18 — were raised together by Mette-Marit and Haakon.

Former Harrods boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son Emad El-Din “Dodi” Mohamed Fayed was killed in a 1997 Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana, has been accused of multiple rapes. According to The BBC, five women have claimed that they were raped by the billionaire, who died last year aged 94, when they worked at the luxury London department store Harrods, which Al-Fayed owned from 1985 to 2010. The outlet revealed that it had heard testimonies from more than 20 former female staff members who claim the billionaire businessman sexually assaulted them, with the incidents allegedly taking place in London, St. Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Paris. 

The allegations were laid out in a BBC documentary, titled ‘Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods’. The documentary revealed that during Fayed’s ownership, Harrods not only failed to intervene but helped cover up abuse allegations. 

In a statement, Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed – for which the store apologised.

“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms,” the statement read. “We also acknowledge that during this time as a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise,” it added. 

According to The BBC, one woman has alleged that the billionaire raped her at his London apartment. “I made it obvious that I didn’t want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over,” she told the outlet. 

Another woman claimed that she was raped at the apartment in Mayfair when she was a teenager. “We were all scared. He actively cultivated fear,” she said. “If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high’.”

A woman named Sophia, who worked as Fayed’s personal assistant from 1988 to 1991, says the billionaire tried to rape her more than once. “I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a [family] home to go back to, I had to pay rent,” she said. “I knew I had to go through this and I didn’t want to. It was horrible and my head was scrambled,” she added. 

Another of his personal assistants, Gemma, who worked for Fayed from 2007 to 2009, claimed he raped her at Villa Windsor in Paris, a former home of King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson. She said that as part of the agreement for her leaving the job, she had to shred all evidence and sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in return for a sum of money. Ms Gemma told the outlet that a shredding truck came to her lawyer’s office and a member of HR from Harrods was present. 

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Tony Leeming, a former Harrods department manager of 10 years, said that he was aware of the abuse of women on the shop floor, but claimed he did not know about the allegations of assault or rape. Mr Leeming’s testimony is backed by former members of Fayed’s security team. 

“We were aware that he had this very strong interest in young girls,” said Eamon Coyle, who joined Harrods in 1979 as a store detective, then became deputy director of security from 1989-95.

Many women told the BBC that when they began working directly for Fayed they underwent medicals – including invasive sexual health tests carried out by doctors. The outlet also reported that before his death, the billionaire faced a number of sexual assault claims in 1997, 2008 and 2017.

Of the women the outlet spoke to for the investigation, a total of 14 have brought civil claims against Harrods for damages. The department store’s current owners started settling these in July 2023, according to the outlet. 

Notably, Fayed, born in Egypt, moved to the United Kingdom in 1974 and was already a well-known public figure when he took over Harrods in 1985. His son Dodi was killed in a car crash alongside Princess Diana in 1997. He has become known to a new generation through the two most recent Netflix series of ‘The Crown’. 

A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that the carrier failed to prevent or stop a sexual assault she experienced at the hands of a stranger seated next to her on a flight. According to the Independent, the incident occurred on August 26, 2022, during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Newark Liberty International Airport. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that American Airlines bears responsibility for not ensuring her safety and well-being on board.

According to the lawsuit, shortly after takeoff, the woman fell asleep, only to awaken to a horrific discovery. She found the stranger’s arm inside her pants and his hand forcing hers onto his p***s. The man had covered them both with his black puffer jacket, “digitally penetrating” her while she slept. The woman was left paralysed in shock and panic upon waking.

The stranger then climbed on top of her, ”attempting to penetrate her with his p***s, which he was partially able to do,” according to the lawsuit. The woman mustered the strength to push him away, and he promptly returned to his seat, ending the assault.

Later, the attacker attempted to downplay the assault by offering the victim water while forcibly holding her hand, only stopping when he noticed a flight attendant approaching. The victim then woke her friend and reported the incident to a flight attendant, who relocated her to a different seat for the remainder of the flight.

Upon landing, the perpetrator was escorted off the plane, and authorities collected statements from the victim and witnesses. But it is ”unknown whether the Perpetrator was taken into custody and/or ever charged with the sexual assault of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit claimed.

”As alleged in the complaint, we look forward to seeking justice on behalf of our client to remedy this terrible injustice for all that she has suffered,” the woman’s attorney, Brian Andris, told The Independent.

In an email, an American Airlines spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the lawsuit and the details of the flight. The safety and comfort of our customers is a top priority for Americans.”

The lawsuit alleged that the airline industry has been aware of the alarming increase in in-flight sexual assaults, with the FBI reporting 96 related cases in the previous year alone. The suit further emphasised that the victim bore no responsibility for the assault and that American Airlines had a clear duty to ensure her safety during the flight. 

”American Airlines breached its duty of care by failing to properly monitor the cabin, failing to prevent the sexual assault, and failing to promptly intervene when the assault occurred,” the lawsuit claims.

Mumbai:

Following the incident of sexual abuse at a school in Badlapur, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday issued a directive to all the schools in the state to install CCTV cameras on their premises within a month.

The failure to comply with the order may result in severe consequences such as revocation of the permission to operate, said the order issued by School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar.

Protests have broken out in many parts of the state following the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur near Mumbai. A school attendant was arrested in the case.

“All private schools in the state are required to comply with new guidelines from the department, mandating the installation of CCTV cameras at appropriate locations within school premises. Failure to comply may result in actions such as withholding financial grants or revocation of the school’s operating permit,” the order said.

Installation of a comprehensive CCTV camera network is a proactive measure to enhance the safety and security of students, teachers and staff, it said.

The school education department has also permitted the use of five per cent of the funds allocated for schools in the District Planning and Development Council to establish CCTV camera networks in state-run and aided schools.

Further, the CCTV footage should be examined at least three times a week, and it would be the principal’s responsibility to contact police if any concerning incident is captured by the cameras, the order said.

The department also instructed school managements to conduct thorough background checks of all employees with the assistance of the local police station. Schools should provide the local police station the details and photographs of their employees, it added.

All schools must also provide complaint boxes, the order said.

The government has set up a state-level school students safety committee, to be headed by the school education commissioner. There will be six other members, while the assistant director (administration) under the education commissioner will be the member secretary.

This committee will meet once every three months to review various measures taken to enhance the safety of students, and submit reports to the state government periodically.

Elsewhere, cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha who is also the guardian minister for Mumbai suburban district wrote a letter to the district collector, requesting deployment of female staff at the girls’ washroom in all schools.

“The entire school premises, except for washrooms, should be brought under the surveillance of CCTV cameras….their safety and proper functioning should be regularly checked by beat marshals or patrolling police teams,” Lodha said.

A woman staff member should monitor the area outside the girls washroom and only women sanitation workers should be deployed to clean them, the minister wrote. The sanitation staff must undergo police verification, he said.

It should be mandatory to have a woman staff member present in buses, taxis and vans used for student transportation, the letter further said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A woman recently took to Reddit alleging that she was groped in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar while shopping with her husband. In her post, the woman claimed that a man sexually assaulted her and walked away while she was standing with her husband, finding a particular store at the market. She said that the incident left her feeling “dirty”. She also asked what she could have done in such a situation. “How can someone hold my b**b in public and walk off,” she said. 

“I was in Lajpath nagar with my husband. Both of us standing and looking in different directions, finding a particular store. This tall man in dhoti and kurta walks between us, literally holds my boob and walks off. I realised and hit him from the back (not too hard because obviously I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought it’s probably me thinking things and it might have been a mistake),” the woman shared. 

Take a look at the post below:

Man held my boob in Lajpath nagar
byu/Top-Math-0007 indelhi

“He turned around and made a face like he knew nothing but you could tell he did it with full intention and tried to hide that with a straight face. Told my husband what happened, husband abused him and ran after him but I asked him to leave it and called him back. He came back but i felt dirty and cried and for some reason blamed my husband too,” she added. 

“What should I have done? What should my husband have done? Why do I feel like this? How can someone hold my b**b in public and walk off,” she further questioned.

The Reddit post was shared just a few days back. Since then, it has garnered several reactions. While some users suggested the woman complain to the cops, others shared their own horrifying stories. 

“This is so so scary..and you still may be feeling awful..just know that man is an absolute shitty human and hope he rots in hell. try shouting and making a public commotion if something like this happens again..its tough to be in your senses during this but yeah the man would be caught if people intervene,” wrote one user. 

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“Hit harder next time and start shouting , crowd will do the rest . Sorry you had to go through this,” said another. 

“Such perverts groping women and leaving us life long trauma. Your strong you did nothing wrong your spouse did nothing wrong. Feeling helpless and restless is a part of it you will heal at your own pace. Always remember the times you were safe and it’s a one off things,” expressed a third user. 

“I’m really sorry this happened. I personally feel awful and can’t imagine what u or so many countless females of this country go through when this shit happens,” wrote a fourth. 

Montreal, Canada:

Canadian writer Alice Munro’s daughter said Sunday that her stepfather sexually abused her as a child and that her mother was told but stayed with him, in a damning account published after the Nobel laureate’s death.

Andrea Robin Skinner wrote in the Toronto Star that she was nine when, in 1976, “one night, while she (Munro) was away, her husband, my stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, climbed into the bed where I was sleeping and sexually assaulted me.”

She wrote that when she was alone with Fremlin — who died in 2013 — he “exposed himself during car rides, told me about the little girls in the neighborhood he liked, and described my mother’s sexual needs.”

Skinner said that, when she was 25, she shared everything that had happened with Munro — but acclaimed author decided to stay with Fremlin, whom she wed in the 1970s after her first marriage ended.

“She reacted exactly as I had feared she would, as if she had learned of an infidelity,” Skinner wrote of Munro. 

“We all went back to acting as if nothing had happened. It was what we did,” she added.

At 38, Skinner said she took her allegations to the police after Munro complimented her husband in a New York Times interview. Fremlin pleaded guilty in 2005 to indecent assault.

“What I wanted was some record of the truth, some public proof that I hadn’t deserved what had happened to me,” Skinner wrote.

“I also wanted this story, my story, to become part of the stories people tell about my mother,” she added.

Alice Munro, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013, died at 92 in May. Her death prompted glowing tributes, including from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A special education teacher at an intermediate school in New Jersey was arrested for an alleged sexual relationship with a student, according to authorities. 43-year-old Allison Havemann-Niedrach at Freehold Intermediate School was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced.

According to theNew York Post, she was arrested earlier this week after an investigation revealed that she allegedly began sexually abusing her student earlier this year. However, authorities did not say how the conduct came to light or how many times she had assaulted the student. The age of the alleged victim has also not been revealed, but grades six through eight attend Freehold Intermediate School.

She is currently being held at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold Township, pending a first appearance and detention hearing. A hearing will be conducted to determine whether she will continue to be detained while awaiting trial. 

The prosecutor’s office asked members of the public to provide more information about her activities. ”Anyone with information about Havemann-Niedrach’s activities is being urged to contact MCPO Detective Dawn Correia at 800-533-7443,” the release read. 

As per her LinkedIn profile, Havemann-Niedrach has been a special education teacher at Freehold Intermediate School since March 2022. She has been a teacher or a substitute teacher at several schools dating back to 2008, according to her profile.

The teacher describes herself as: “Passionate, results-driven, and sincere educator. Poised and competent and thrives in performance-driven environments. Demonstrated history of a ‘do what it takes’ work ethic and truly differentiated instruction.”

After the arrest, Asia Michael, the superintendent of the Freehold Borough School District sent an email to staff and parents that read, ”We have been informed that a former staff member has been arrested on allegations of third-degree aggravated sexual assault and inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor. 

Please be assured that our district has been fully cooperative with the prosecutor’s office since the outset of this investigation. The safety and well-being of our students and staff have been our top priority, and we took immediate measures to ensure their protection.”

The teacher’s attorney, meanwhile, said in a statement that she ”maintains her innocence” and refused to comment further. 

 

Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a crowded beach in Mumbai in 2021, noting the survivor and the accused were friends and the charges against him appear implausible.

Judge Prithiviraj Chavan, in an order passed on Wednesday, pointed out that the survivor’s statement recorded before a magistrate’s court revealed she was friends with the accused, and also noted that charges in the three-year-old case have not yet been framed by the trial court.

“Since the victim was a major at the time of the alleged offence, prima facie, it does not appeal to one’s mind that in broad daylight at a crowded Juhu Chowpatty (beach) on the day of Eid-Ul-Fitr, the applicant would commit forcible sexual intercourse with the victim,” the HC observed.

No sane man would believe it, the judge added.

The high court also said that since the survivor was an adult at the time of the alleged incident, there was no need to invoke the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused.

The accused was booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for rape, outraging the modesty of a woman and stalking, among others, as well as sections of the POCSO Act.

The alleged incident took place on May 14, 2021, when the survivor had gone to Juhu Chowpatty in suburban Mumbai with the accused.

He sought sexual favours which the survivor refused. However, the accused then threatened her with dire consequences and sexually assaulted her at an isolated place at the tourist site, the prosecution submitted.

The court, in the order, noted there was no need to invoke the POCSO Act against the accused as the survivor’s age, as per medical reports, was more than 18 years.

The applicant has been in jail ever since his arrest in June 2021. The trial court has not yet framed charges and, therefore, there is no likelihood of bringing the trial to its logical end (anytime soon), the high court noted.

“Having considered all the aforesaid peculiar circumstances, the application (for bail) is allowed”, the judge said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa has been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act over allegations of sexually harassing a teen.

The police in Bengaluru’s Sadashivanagar charged the senior BJP leader based on a complaint by the mother of the 17-year-old girl.

According to sources in the police, the girl has alleged that she was assaulted on February 2 when she and her mother visited the 81-year-old leader to seek assistance in a cheating case.

According to the FIR, the BJP leader allegedly sexually assaulted the girl after calling her into a room.

Addressing the media, Mr Yediyurappa questioned the timing of the complaint, coming just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha election. “I helped the complainant financially. The timing is questionable since the FIR comes just ahead of the polls,” he said.

The former Chief Minister claimed the girl came to him seeking help with some cases of cheating. However, she didn’t speak to him properly which gave him the idea that she may not be mentally sound, he said.

Mr Yediyurappa’s office has rubbished the allegations as baseless, accusing the mother and daughter of filing over 50 complaints in the past. A list put out by Mr Yediyurappa’s office showed 53 different complaints filed before.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said, “A lady gave a complaint to the Sadashivanagar police station against BS Yediyurappa, our former Chief Minister, saying that her daughter was molested. So the police registered the case and an investigation is on. Until and unless we know the truth, we cannot reveal anything. This is a very sensitive matter because it involves a former Chief Minister. Let’s see what the report says”.

The minister ruled out any political angle in the case and said, “I don’t think there’s a political angle to this. We don’t know the lady. She went to the police and complained. The police didn’t refuse her and registered the case.”

BS Yediyurappa served as Karnataka Chief Minister in 2007 and later from 2008 to 2011. He was chief minister again for three days in May 2018, and then from July 2019 to July 2021.