Police are given new information on David Sullivan after West Ham co-owner accused of preying on young women for sex

Published: 22:17, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 22:19, 10 June 2026 Police have been given new information on West Ham's billionaire co-owner David Sullivan, after he was accused of preying on a string of women, some in their teens, during his time as a newspaper boss.  Sullivan, 77, built his fortune in the sex industry in the 1970s by selling prints of topless models and later owned soft pornography magazines Daily Sport and Sunday Sport.  Seven women gave detailed accounts on Monday of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour they claimed to have experienced with Sullivan as young models seeking work on his newspapers.  On Wednesday evening, Essex Police said in an update that there had been 'some contact and enquiries into those are now under way' following the accusations.  The allegations, dating back to the 1980s, were broadcast in a joint BBC and Times Panorama investigation, which claimed Sullivan had pressured seven women for sex or oral sex during business meetings by suggesting it would help their careers. Sullivan denies the allegations.  Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is also understood to have held urgent 'fact-finding' meetings on Wednesday with the Football Association and West Ham, after it was revealed that Sullivan was banned from contacting the women's and youth teams over safeguarding concerns.  The Cardiff-born billionaire has been under the restrictions since 2023, when a historic allegation about his conduct was raised with the FA.  Until now, the restrictions had been private and Sullivan had recently been spotted attending the men's first team matches with his fiancée, Ampika Pickston.   West Ham co-owner David Sullivan was accused of abusing a number of women and preying on them for sex, but denied the allegations Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim who wanted to be named in the BBC Panorama investigation. She claims Sullivan tried to have sex with her in exchange for help with her career In a statement on Wednesday, Sullivan said he had never met any academy or women's team players '1-2-1' during his 16 years at West Ham, adding that the complaint 'had nothing to do about my time in football and it never happened'.  Sullivan described it as a 'meaningless restriction' since 'it didn't impact on [his] work in any way'.  Ms Nandy called for a 'full and urgent explanation' of how the 'incredibly serious allegations' about the West Ham co-owner had been dealt with, the BBC reported.  An investigation by the Times and the BBC also stated that eight women, including one who was part of their investigation, have gone to the police with disclosures about Sullivan's conduct. No charges have been brought about.  Sullivan was joint chairman at West Ham for 16 years, but resigned from the position on Saturday.  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. 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 A 1990s-era modelling shot of Ms Wall, from around the time she claims Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter This is Sullivan's mansion in Essex, which is where a number of the alleged incidents are said to have happened '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.'  The BBC also reports that Sullivan, 77, has separately admitted to paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl who he understood to be 16 or 17 years old. He 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, one of the country's richest men, protested his innocence over the weekend and vowed to sue any media outlet that repeated the allegations made against him. Sullivan currently retains his 38.8 per cent stake in West Ham. Sullivan, pictured left alongside former joint chairman David Gold, stepped down from his post at West Ham over the weekend after learning the investigation would be published Tony Livesey was editor-in-chief of the Sport, and Florence claims it was he who organised her visit to Sullivan's house 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 said that in 1998, she was invited to Sullivan's Essex mansion 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 b**w job?' Sullivan made enormous amounts of money through first porn, then newspapers, and finally football - and often boasted of his lavish lifestyle 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.  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. She entered the Miss Sport competition, which involved sending photos into the newspaper. She was then 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 large groups of 'touchy-feely' men - she claims she was invited to go for a private chat with Sullivan. He allegedly asked the 17-year-old to give him a 'b**w job', promising he would make her a 'star' - but she refused. Another alleged victim, whose name was changed to Florence, claimed that 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 up Sullivan to arrange a date for her to visit the businessman's house. Sullivan has strenuously denied the allegations and threatened to sue any media outlet that repeated the His publishing career began in the early 1970s, when he ran a mail-order business supplying pornographic photos Livesey, who claimed in his book to have come up with 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 that he had played 'any role whatsoever in that scenario' and said he found the allegation 'abhorrent'. 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 the vast opportunities he could offer aspiring models. But Florence, then 20, said she was oblivious to this - and so went trustingly to his Essex home, 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 for her in the house. But Sullivan pressed on anyway, she claims. 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. Florence said she was almost certain she was telling him she did not want to have intercourse, but could not say how loudly. She claims that he promised she would be one of his 'regular girls' in his Sport newspapers if she had sex with him - and that she was indeed 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, who once described himself as a 'collector of women, like some people collect stamps', was a titanic figure for anyone hoping to crack the glamour modelling industry in the 1990s. He began selling photographs of topless women in the 1970s through a mail-order business from an east London warehouse. This soon progressed into selling pornographic magazines and, in 1973, Sullivan pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to publish and post obscene materials. But Sullivan was undeterred, and his porn empire rapidly expanded, until by the end of the decade he was selling more than a million porn magazines each month. He went on to launch Sunday Sport in 1986 - which featured topless models plastered on many of the pages, among sensational tabloid stories - and later Daily Sport after enjoying enormous success. A notorious feature of his newspapers was the 'Countdown to 16', which chronicled the number of days until a schoolgirl's 16th birthday, and then pictured her topless when the day arrived. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.