David Sullivan has denied any wrongdoing, saying “after a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry… it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me”
An ex-Page 3 model is due to make a string of allegations against former West Ham United owner David Sullivan.
The woman – who we are not naming – is due to appear on Panorama tomorrow evening to claim she went to the billionaire’s £7.5million mansion. She has spoken publicly about an encounter she says took place in the late 1990s when she was trying to establish herself in the industry.
But she was left “shocked” by the visit during which the pair were due to discuss career opportunities. It comes after Mr Sullivan, 77, who made much of his fortune in porn publications, announced he was stepping aside to focus on suing the BBC for libel.
He issued a long statement in which he denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, he said: “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.” The BBC is set to publish a joint investigation with The Times tonight over multiple serious allegations about Mr Sullivan’s personal life. They will be aired on BBC1’s Panorama.
In a lengthy online account, the woman, whom we are choosing not to identify, alleges she was sent to meet Sullivan after compiling her first modelling portfolio. She described it as a moment she has never forgotten. She said she only fully reflected on the incident years later while revisiting her experiences through personal writing and self-reflection.
Looking back, she says she came to view the meeting very differently from how she understood it at the time. Mr Sullivan, who has co-owned the Hammers for 16 years, made his fortune producing “adult entertainment” via a string of magazines and films in the 1970s, before buying up swathes of prime London real estate.
The BBC’s Panorama programme has generated significant interest because of his long-standing role in British media, adult entertainment and football. In her account, the woman says she wants to encourage others to talk about people in power and the treatment of women in the modelling and pornography industries.
She argues that younger women entering those worlds can be particularly vulnerable to coercion and undue influence. She also describes the emotional impact of revisiting events she says took place more than two decades ago, writing that she experienced flashbacks after beginning to discuss her experiences publicly.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr Sullivan said they were “decades-old allegations concerning my personal life” that were “factually incorrect and entirely false”. Mr Sullivan’s decision to leave The Hammers comes just two weeks after they were relegated from the Premier League. He said he would be departing “with a heavy heart”.
Mr Sullivan, who is worth around £1.1bilion, said he had received no “proper explanation” as to how his accusers and their claims had been “independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication”. He added: “I believe the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media.
“I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations. None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football. I am stepping down to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations.”
West Ham said none of the claims set to be aired relate to his running of the East London club. Sullivan has been the largest shareholder, with nearly 40 per cent, since the death of business partner David Gold in 2023. They were joint-chairmen when they bought the club in 2010.
Sullivan, who owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport tabloids from 1986 to 2007, selling them for £40million, will retain his stake. Sons Jack and David are said to be his first-choice replacements.
A BBC spokesman said: “BBC Panorama and The Times newspaper have been working on a joint investigation into the behaviour of David Sullivan. The investigation is due to be broadcast and published on Monday.”
