West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been accused of abusing several women and preying on them for sex – in some cases when they were teenagers.
Mr Sullivan resigned from his post over the weekend after learning of plans to publish the allegations, which span decades and date back to the 1980s.
They come from seven women, all of whom were models in their late teens or early twenties seeking work at Sullivan’s Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers at the time they were allegedly abused.
They accuse Sullivan 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 paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl who he understood to be 16 or 17 years old.
Sullivan was in his 40s at the time, and it only became illegal to pay for sex with a 16 or 17-year-old in 2003.
Sullivan has ‘categorically’ denied the claims of abuse, which date back to the era when he built a fortune from pornography, newspapers and football.
He quit West Ham over the weekend, while protesting his innocence, after BBC Panorama and The Times confirmed they would be publishing the findings of their joint investigation.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been accused of abusing a number of women and preying on them for sex
Sullivan, pictured left alongside joint chairman David Gold, said he ‘categorically’ denies the allegations
Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim who wanted to be named
Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim of Sullivan’s predatory behaviour who wanted to be named.
She claims that, as a 24-year-old aspiring model, Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter by suggesting it would advance her career.
Ms Wall says that in 1998 she was invited to Sullivan’s private home in Essex for what she had believed would be a business meeting.
She recalled being surprised to find him dressed very informally, 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 seeking 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 blow job?’
Ms Wall said she was ‘really scared’ to find the door locked when she tried to leave, but that 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.
Sullivan ran the Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers in the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, and it was while seeking modelling work at his titles that the women claim they were abused
Sullivan stepped down from his post at West Ham over the weekend after learning the investigation would be published
Another alleged victim, whose name was changed to Florence by the publishers of the investigation, claimed that Sullivan ‘took away her innocence’ when she was pressured into sleeping with him in 1999.
Sources who worked in the industry at the time reportedly said Sullivan’s nickname was ‘Blow Job or No Job’, due to his reputation for expecting sexual favours in exchange for access to the vast opportunities he could offer aspiring models.
But Florence, then 20 and trying to break into the industry, said she was oblivious to this – and so went trustingly to his Essex mansion, dressed in a suit 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 he partner was waiting for her in the house.
But Sullivan pressed on anyway, she claims.
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 was ‘untouchable’, adding: ‘He might not look it on paper, but my God, is that man powerful.’
In a 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.
‘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.’
It is thought that a boardroom power struggle may now ensue, with Czech co-chairman Daniel Kretinsky understood to harbour reservations over a mooted plan for Sullivan’s two sons, Jack and David, to replace him. Indeed, Kretinsky, who has a 27 per cent stake, may seek to increase his holding and take control of the club.
