Who is David Sullivan and what are the allegations against him? | OneFootball

David Sullivan, the billionaire businessman and West Ham co-owner, has denied allegations of abusing his power and preying on women for sex over the course of several decades.

Multiple women have come forward against the prolific pornography industry tycoon, their claims uncovered by a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times.

The allegations span back to the 1980s, all coming from women who were in their late teens or early twenties when they were young models looking to work for Mr Sullivan’s Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers.

On Monday evening, the Met Police said it was investigating a report relating to the “alleged taking of indecent images and sexual exploitation at locations in London and Essex in the 1980s”. The force said this investigation is related to one alleged victim.

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David Sullivan bought a controlling stake in West Ham with fellow businessman David Gold in 2010 (PA Wire)

On Saturday, Mr Sullivan confirmed he will step down as chair of West Ham with immediate effect to fight “false allegations” about his private life after 16 years at the helm.

Here is everything you need to know about Mr Sullivan, the property, football and media mogul, and one of Britain’s richest men.

Where did David Sullivan’s career begin?

Born in Cardiff in 1949 to a Royal Air Force officer and his wife, Mr Sullivan sold football programmes as a young man before studying a degree in economics at Queen Mary University and then becoming an advertising executive.

In the early 1970s, he decided to set up a business with a university friend, selling photos of topless female models from a warehouse in East London.

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David Sullivan and Baroness Karren Brady in 1993. Ms Brady worked with Mr Sullivan at the Sunday Sport as well as Birmingham City and West Ham football clubs (Getty Images)

The business quickly expanded into pornographic magazines and books detailing sexual techniques, prompting the now-defunct News of the World to term Mr Sullivan and his friend “Britain's newest purveyors of filth”.

The enterprise was short-lived, with the pair charged with conspiring to publish and post obscene materials. They were each fined £50 after pleading guilty at the Old Bailey.

Unlike his business partner, Mr Sullivan remained in the industry, growing his porn empire rapidly after the setback.

The businessman’s porn magazines became increasingly explicit, and by the late 1970s he was selling over a million copies a month. The publications advertised sex toys and pornographic films which he also sold.

Mr Sullivan then opened chain sex shops and began producing his own adult films. By 1974, aged 25, he was already a millionaire.

At the start of the 1980s, reports indicate that Mr Sullivan was worth an estimated £10m, with his empire now comprising more than 100 sex shops.

Allegations relating to abuse of power were first reported by the News of the World in 1981. The paper had received a report from a woman who said she was rejected from a job by Mr Sullivan after refusing to sleep with him.

In 1982, he was convicted of profiting from massage parlours in London where male clients were paying for sex. He spent 71 days in prison after his nine-month sentence was reduced on appeal.

A few years later, in 1986, he would launch the Sunday Sport – a weekly tabloid which became famous for its topless female models and sensationalised news stories. After a successful run, the publication was followed by the Daily Sport in 1991.

The papers ran a feature called ‘Countdown to 16’, which displayed pictures of partially clothed schoolgirls a short time before their sixteenth birthday. This would then be followed up with a topless picture of the girl once she reached 16, the minimum age someone could legally appear topless at the time (this was raised to 18 in 2004).

Mr Sullivan has denied claims that he invented the feature.

Football club ownership

In 1993, Mr Sullivan moved into football ownership, purchasing Birmingham City in 1993 with David and Ralph Gold, who owned the Ann Summers chain.

Baroness Karren Brady, 23 at the time, was installed as managing director, having worked in marketing on the Sport titles. She is now a member of the House of Lords and a television personality on BBC One's The Apprentice.

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David Sullivan, left, and David Gold are announced as new joint chairs of West Ham United in 2010 (Getty Images)

Mr Sullivan took over ownership of West Ham football club with David Gold in 2010, bringing in Ms Brady as vice-chair.

The businessman has faced criticism from supporters during his tenure, citing a lack of spending and poor performance. Ms Brady left the club in April, and the team was relegated from the Premier League this season for the first time since 2011.

Mr Sullivan has now also stood down as chair of West Ham, but remains its majority shareholder.

His net worth currently stands at £1.1bn, according to the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List, making him the 149th richest person in Britain.

What are the allegations against David Sullivan?

Multiple women have accused the billionaire of abusing his power and preying on them for sex, some of whom relate to a time when they were in their late teens.

They include one who claimed Mr Sullivan asked her for sex, promising to make her one of “my regular girls” in the newspaper. The account has been called “implausible” by Mr Sullivan’s lawyers, who has himself called all the allegations “factually incorrect and entirely false”.

Another woman claimed she was scouted on the street by a female agent who then directed her to Mr Sullivan and told her to “just go in there and just do what he says”. Other women claimed Mr Sullivan attempted to pressure them in exchange for work at his newspapers.

Mr Sullivan has “categorically” denied the claims.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport called the allegations “deeply concerning,” adding that they must be “treated with the utmost seriousness” and “investigated by the relevant authorities”.

How has David Sullivan responded to the allegations?

In a statement on his departure from West Ham, Mr 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 libellous allegations.”