West Ham co-owner David Sullivan steps down as chair amid sexual exploitation allegations

David Sullivan stepped down as West Ham chairman on Saturday after multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual exploitation against the billionaire businessman, who has denied all claims and described them as “false allegations” about his private life.

The allegations were uncovered through a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times. The women, who say they were in their late teens or early twenties at the time, allege Sullivan abused his power while they were young models seeking work at his Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers. The claims span back to the 1980s.

On Monday evening, the Metropolitan Police confirmed 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”, adding that the investigation relates to one alleged victim.

Sullivan, 75, had served as West Ham co-owner and chair for 16 years. In a statement, he said he was stepping aside to focus on clearing his name.

Who is David Sullivan?

Born in Cardiff in 1949, Sullivan sold football programmes as a young man before studying economics at Queen Mary University and working as an advertising executive. In the early 1970s, he co-founded a business selling photographs of topless models from a warehouse in East London, which rapidly expanded into pornographic magazines and adult films.

The venture attracted early legal trouble — Sullivan and his business partner were each fined £50 at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to conspiring to publish and post obscene materials — but Sullivan remained in the industry and grew his operation significantly. By 1974, aged 25, he was already a millionaire. By the late 1970s, his magazines were selling over a million copies a month.

At the start of the 1980s, Sullivan was estimated to be worth around £10m, with an empire encompassing more than 100 sex shops. Allegations relating to abuse of power were first reported by the News of the World in 1981, when the paper published an account from a woman who said she was rejected for a job after refusing to sleep with him. In 1982, he was convicted of profiting from massage parlours in London.

Sullivan later diversified into property and football, eventually becoming one of Britain’s wealthiest individuals. He took co-ownership of West Ham in 2010, overseeing the club’s move from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016.

Sullivan has categorically denied the allegations made against him.