West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has been accused of preying on a string of women, some in their teens, during his time running the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers. Seven women have given detailed accounts of experiences they claim to have had with Sullivan as young models seeking work on his titles, in allegations spanning decades back to the 1980s.
Sullivan resigned from his post at West Ham over the weekend after learning of the joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times that collected the allegations. The women accuse him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour, including pressuring them for sex or oral sex during business meetings by suggesting it would aid their careers. Sullivan denies the allegations.
The BBC also reports that Sullivan, 77, has separately admitted to paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl he understood to be 16 or 17 years old. He was in his 40s at the time. It only became illegal to pay for sex with a 16 or 17-year-old in 2003.
Sullivan, one of the country's richest men after building his fortune on porn, newspapers and football, said he "categorically" denies all the allegations and vowed to sue any media outlet that repeats them. He currently retains his 38.8 per cent stake in West Ham.
Sacha Wall's account
Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim who wanted to be named. She claims that, as a 24-year-old aspiring model in 1998, she was invited to Sullivan's Essex mansion for what she believed would be a business meeting, and was surprised to find him dressed in flip-flops, red shorts and a t-shirt.
Sullivan leafed through her modelling portfolio while repeating "very nice, very nice" in a way that made her uncomfortable, Ms Wall claims. She says he then instructed her to follow him upstairs and undress down to her underwear, which she did because she was interested in topless modelling work.
He then allegedly told her to come and sit next to him, at which point she moved away and put her bra back on. When she told him she would not sleep with him, she claims he looked "very shocked" and replied: "What, not even a b**w job?" Ms Wall said she was "really scared" to find the door locked when she tried to leave, but Sullivan opened it when she demanded to be let out. She later appeared in his Sport newspaper but said she was often given the worst jobs.
Other alleged victims
A woman whose name has been changed to Anna by the publishers of the investigation appeared in the Sport the month after her 17th birthday after entering the Miss Sport competition. She was invited to an event at an Essex nightclub, which she attended with her mother as a chaperone.
At the venue, where the entertainment included women dancing on tabletops surrounded by "touchy-feely" men, she claims she was invited to a private chat with Sullivan, who allegedly asked the 17-year-old to give him a "b**w job" and promised he would make her a "star". She refused.
Another alleged victim, whose name was changed to Florence, claimed Sullivan "took away her innocence" when she was pressured into sleeping with him in 1999. Florence claims she met Tony Livesey, editor-in-chief of the Sport at the time, and that it was he who phoned Sullivan to arrange her visit to his house. Livesey, who claimed in his book to have devised the "Countdown to 16" pornographic feature picturing topless 16-year-old girls, told the BBC he has "no recollection" of the episode Florence described. He said he had "great sympathy for a woman who may have become a victim" but rejected any suggestion he played "any role whatsoever in that scenario", calling the allegation "abhorrent".
'Blow Job or No Job' reputation
Sources who worked in the industry at the time reportedly said Sullivan's nickname was "B**w Job or No Job", due to his reputation for expecting sexual favours in exchange for access to modelling opportunities. Florence, then 20, said she was oblivious to this and went to his Essex home trustingly, dressed smartly and with her boyfriend for support.
Sullivan allegedly took her upstairs and tried to initiate sex, with Florence attempting to resist by saying she was on her period and that her partner was waiting in the house. She said she would be forever "haunted" by the image of Sullivan lifting his pinky into the air and saying: "It's alright, I'll only put it in a little bit," before penetrating her. She said she was almost certain she was telling him she did not want to have intercourse, but could not say how loudly. She claims he promised she would be one of his "regular girls" in the Sport if she had sex with him, and she was subsequently offered work. Florence said: "He took away my innocence. What he did set me off on a spiral that went for many, many, many, many years."
She said she believes Sullivan's alleged predatory behaviour went unchallenged for so long because he was "untouchable", adding: "He might not look it on paper, but my God, is that man powerful."
Sullivan's career in publishing
Sullivan, who once described himself as a "collector of women, like some people collect stamps", began selling photographs of topless women in the 1970s through a mail-order business from an east London warehouse.
The business progressed into selling pornographic magazines, and in 1973 Sullivan pleaded guilty to conspiring to publish and post obscene materials. By the end of the decade he was selling more than a million porn magazines a month. He went on to launch Sunday Sport in 1986 and later Daily Sport. A notorious feature of his newspapers was "Countdown to 16", which chronicled the days until a schoolgirl's 16th birthday and then pictured her topless when the day arrived.
Sullivan's response
In his resignation statement, Sullivan said: "I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published. The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media. After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I categorically deny these claims."
He added: "I am a private man, and those who personally and professionally know the real David Sullivan, not the caricature invented by the tabloids, know exactly who I am and what I stand for. I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as. I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication. I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libelous allegations."
In response, the BBC said: "BBC Panorama and The Times newspaper have been working together on a joint investigation into the behaviour of David Sullivan, who has announced he is stepping down as joint-chair and director of West Ham United FC. Over decades, he's made millions from pornography, newspapers, and football. The investigation is due to be broadcast and published on Monday."
West Ham leadership
A boardroom power struggle may now ensue, with Czech co-chairman Daniel Kretinsky, who holds a 27 per cent stake, understood to harbour reservations over a mooted plan for Sullivan's two sons, Jack and David, to replace him. Kretinsky may seek to increase his holding and take control of the club. Sullivan retains his 38.8 per cent share.
In April, Sullivan's right-hand woman Karren Brady quit the club. Over a season of turmoil, Hammers fans frequently protested against Sullivan and Brady amid toxic scenes, and following relegation a firesale of players is expected, along with substantial redundancies.
A separate statement from West Ham said Sullivan "has taken the decision to step down in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately". The club added that interim chief executive officer Karim Virani "will continue to be responsible for leading the club's day-to-day operations".