Despite being arrested multiple times and labeled a serial offender by police, Marius Borg Høiby kept committing new crimes. Norway's justice system has now remanded him in custody, raising questions about why preventive detention wasn't used sooner.
Norwegian police arrested Høiby on Sunday after new allegations emerged over the weekend. He is accused of making threats with a knife, breaching a restraining order, and committing bodily harm. By Monday afternoon, a court had approved his remand in custody due to the risk of reoffending.
This decision comes after a long pattern of criminal behavior that authorities struggled to curb. Many have openly questioned why Høiby wasn't held in preventive custody earlier, given his repeated offenses even after previous arrests.
A Lengthy Trail of Allegations
Police first identified Høiby as a serial offender in June 2025. Their assessment concluded he should be charged with 23 counts against a double-digit number of victims. The alleged crimes spanned from years in the past to more recent times.
By August 2025, the formal indictment had grown to 32 charges. Yet, police did not seek his remand at that point. They argued the legal threshold for detaining someone for crimes they might commit was high.
Høiby's initial indictment covered acts from 2018 to January 2025. One of the most serious accusations is a rape alleged to have occurred in November 2024. This was three months after his first arrest for violence against a woman from the Frogner district.
It was also two months after an arrest for breaking a restraining order against the same woman. This timeline showed Høiby offending repeatedly despite police intervention.
A Previous Short-Lived Detention
Høiby was remanded once before, in November 2024. That detention was based on the risk of evidence tampering, not the risk of reoffending. Police initially requested two weeks of custody, but the court granted only one.
The remand ended once police gathered the necessary evidence. The danger of evidence tampering was no longer present. This left Høiby free, and he allegedly continued to commit new crimes.
The failure to seek remand for reoffending risk puzzled observers. Legal experts note that preventive detention requires a high bar, but Høiby's consistent pattern seemed to meet it.
New Crimes Amidst Old Charges
Just two weeks ago, prosecutors filed additional charges against Høiby. These include regular breaches of restraining orders from October to December 2025.
Other new counts involve multiple traffic violations for speeding and transporting at least 3.5 kilograms of marijuana in 2020. These allegations added to an already heavy case load.
Høiby's arrests have been frequent. He was apprehended three times before the police's serial offender assessment in June 2025. After that, he still allegedly committed new offenses.
The phrase used by some close to the case sums it up: he never stops. This persistence made the recent remand decision inevitable, yet belated.
The Legal Threshold Debate
Norwegian law sets a high standard for remanding individuals in custody before trial. It is primarily reserved for cases where there is a risk of flight, evidence tampering, or continued serious crime.
Police maintained that the risk of reoffending did not meet the threshold until this past weekend. Their stance was that detaining someone for potential future crimes is a significant step.
However, Høiby's history shows a clear pattern of not ceasing criminal activity. Each arrest was followed by new allegations, often involving similar victims or methods.
The November 2024 rape accusation is particularly striking. It occurred after Høiby was already on police radar for violence and restraining order breaches.
What Changed This Time?
The new allegations from this weekend involved immediate threats and violence. Police finally argued that the risk of reoffending was now sufficient to warrant custody.
The court agreed, leading to Monday's remand order. This prevents Høiby from being released while the investigation continues and ahead of any trial.
Victims in the case have endured repeated violations. The woman from Frogner, for instance, faced multiple breaches of her restraining order over months.
Other victims span years, with some allegations dating back to 2018. The police indictment aims to consolidate these cases into one prosecution.