Police reversed course on Friday to seek four more weeks of electronic monitoring for Marius Borg Høiby, after earlier telling him the ankle monitor could be removed on Monday morning. Høiby arrived at Oslo district court on Monday for the custody hearing, having been asked to cancel a dentist appointment to accommodate fitting a new device.
The reversal came despite signals as recently as 6 August that authorities were close to approving release with a reverse-violence alarm. SMS exchanges had set 11 a.m. on 10 August as the time to remove the ankle tag. Police even requested photos of Høiby's ankle with a measuring tape ahead of the planned release.
Høiby, who has complied with all conditions including a substance ban, has been visiting his mother Crown Princess Mette-Marit daily in hospital during house arrest at Skaugum. His four-year sentence for rape and domestic abuse remains under appeal by both sides.