– I am in shock, says one of the TV4 profile’s colleagues to Aftonbladet.
– The person I have had contact with and what has happened are so far apart, I can’t get it together, says the person further.
TV4 profile bought sex all over Sweden
The indictment against the TV4 profile regarding 31 cases of sex purchases came as a shock to many in the man’s vicinity, but also to several of the channel’s viewers. He is one of TV4’s most prominent profiles and has appeared in several major television productions, including one of TV4’s major entertainment programs.
In addition to that, he has appeared in other major channels’ productions, and on social media he has shown an eventful life where he has met colleagues from the television industry. He has also frequently appeared as a guest in popular podcasts.
TV4. Image source: Stella Pictures.
At the same time, he has lived a double life. On several of the trips he has made for work, he has bought sex at Thai massage parlors, but the sex purchases have also taken place in the man’s hometown.
The man was detained for two days this spring. This then the prosecutor and the head of the preliminary investigation Per Svensson believed that there was a great risk that he could complicate the investigation, something Svensson said The evening paper.
Lawyer Linus Gardell about the TV4 profile’s sex purchase: “There’s nothing to be gained by saying that”
Something that stands out from that lawsuit that News24 has taken notice is that the TV4 profile admitted 30 cases of sex buying – but one of the occasions, the only one that took place in Stockholm, the man has neither denied nor admitted. Does he have something to gain from it and why would someone admit to 30 sex purchases but not feel at one of them? And what punishment can be relevant for the TV4 profile?
The lawyer Linus Gardell is a partner in the agency Lewis & Langley Partners. He specializes in criminal cases and recently gained attention in the media when he defended a climate activist who blocked traffic in Stockholm’s inner city. The verdict was historic, when the climate activist was acquitted because the District Court held that he acted in emergency defense as the climate threat is so acute.
Linus Gardell. Image source: Private
For Nyheter24, Linus Gardell finds out what punishment the TV4 profile has to wait, and what he would have to gain by not admitting the one sex purchase.
The TV4 profile has admitted 30 cases of sex buying, but one of the cases he neither wants to admit nor deny. What do you think could be the reason?
– When you as a suspect say that you can neither admit nor deny, it is usually because you don’t know if it happened, or if what happened is criminal. This may be the case if you do not remember, e.g. because it was a long time ago or if there were several similar events that are difficult to keep apart. You don’t really gain anything by saying that, but it usually means that it could be that you committed a crime but that you don’t actually know for one reason or another.
What could the punishment be if he is convicted of 30 counts of buying sex?
– The penalty for buying sexual services has been increased. Now you risk prison. Anyone who has not previously been convicted of a crime on one occasion can, however, normally receive a suspended sentence and low daily fines instead of imprisonment. In practice, the punishment can therefore often depend on the personal circumstances, for example if you have been convicted of a crime in the past. Now, however, the indictment includes 30 counts and it can act in an aggravating direction. The ambition with the penalty increase was that more people could be sentenced to prison, but it has not had a full impact. The question is whether precisely the large number of crime incidents can be significant. If it is the case that he has not been convicted of a crime before, it may still be the case that he receives a suspended sentence but with heavy daily fines, that actually remains to be seen, says Linus Gardell to Nyheter24.
Lawyer Adam Borg believes in a shorter prison sentence for the TV4 profile
Lawyer Adam Borg previously worked for Sargon de Bassos law firm de Basso. Since 2023, he runs his own agency Adam Borg Law Firm. Borg believes that the TV4 profile has an explanation that means he was not guilty of that crime.
– Without being familiar with the case, it is difficult to know why his attitude is the way it is and that he chooses to admit parts and deny parts of the prosecution. It will be irrelevant when it comes to the choice of penalty and the length of the total penalty if he is sentenced for 31 cases or 30 cases. So he probably has some explanation for that particular double swish, which is that he believes he was not guilty of a crime on that occasion.
What can the penalty be?
– The penalty scale for buying sexual services is imprisonment for a minimum of 14 days and a maximum of one year. Usually, the penalty is a suspended sentence combined with a fine if you are convicted of buying sexual services on one or a few occasions. This case touches on quite a few occasions. The total value of the penalty will probably be determined at a few months’ imprisonment. The penalty will presumably land on a suspended sentence combined with a fairly high number of daily fines or perhaps a shorter prison sentence, says Adam Borg to Nyheter24
Adam Borg Image source: Private