Former Let’s Dance judge Dermot Clemenger, 52, has evaded authorities for over a year following charges for 31 counts of buying sex. Media outlets have located him working at a restaurant in Wales, while police have failed to apprehend him despite an international warrant. The statute of limitations for the final charge expires on January 25.
Dermot Clemenger, known as a judge on TV4's Let’s Dance, was charged over a year ago for 31 counts of buying sex at Thai massage parlors in various Swedish cities. He has admitted to 30 of the incidents. Since the charges were filed, he has evaded Swedish authorities, leading to his detention in absentia and the issuance of a European arrest warrant. Despite being internationally wanted, neither Swedish nor British police have apprehended him.
Media outlets Expressen and Aftonbladet have tracked him down instead. Expressen found him at a hotel in central London, while Aftonbladet confronted him in Cardiff, Wales, where he fled on foot from reporter Frida Fagerlund after a jog. Sources indicate Clemenger works at a steakhouse on a bar street in Cardiff. He appears in clips on the restaurant's Instagram, welcoming guests and chatting with patrons—posts easily found via a Google search.
The statute of limitations for buying sexual services in Sweden is two years. Most of the charged incidents have already expired, with the final one set to lapse on January 25. In a chat obtained by Expressen, Clemenger outlined his plan: “Now they have to serve me if they can find me. I'll come back when everything is prescribed. It's my little revenge on the system.” His lawyer, Magnus Arntell, declined to comment.
The question of justice for the victims remains. One woman described in interrogation how degrading it was to sell sex to make ends meet. Surveys show that nine percent of Swedish men have bought sex at some point, and penalties are often lenient, such as fines or conditional sentences. In the UK, buying sex is generally legal between consenting adults in private, but illegal in cases of exploitation or coercion.
Clemenger has described his actions as almost compulsive in interrogation, stating he needs help. The victims, often driven by poverty or coercion, may receive no redress as the limitations period passes.
