West Ham United's leading shareholder David Sullivan is suing the BBC for £150million after he was accused in a Panorama documentary of preying upon and abusing young women.
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he → lead → women
The pornography entrepreneur stepped down as the Championship club's chairman this summer when made the focus of a programme called Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss.
Mr Sullivan announced two days before its broadcast that he would be quitting his formal West Ham role while also vowing to sue the corporation for libel.
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he → step → libel
He is now seeking aggravated damages in a new case being filed, it was reported today.
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it → seek → case
Cardiff-born Mr Sullivan, 77, remains West Ham's largest shareholder, with it recently emerging he would increase his stake from 38.8 per cent to 40 per cent.
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he → bear → cent
The club was relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.
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club → relegate → season
He has continued to attend the London Stadium following claims made in the Panorama investigation aired on June 8.
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He → continue → June
Programme-makers quoted seven women, six of whom remained anonymous, who accused Mr Sullivan of abusing his power in 'casting couch'-style encounters.
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who → quote → encounters
West Ham's largest shareholder David Sullivan has threatened legal action against the BBC- he is seen here at the London Stadium for a match against Newcastle United last November
Former models in their late teens or early 20s told of what they experienced when looking for work at the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers owned by Mr Sullivan.
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they → threaten → Sullivan
They accused Mr 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.
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it → accuse → careers
He has denied the allegations.
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He → deny → allegations
The BBC also reported that Mr Sullivan had separately admitted to paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl who he understood to be 16 or 17 years old.
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he → report → girl
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.
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it → become → 2003
Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim of Mr Sullivan's predatory behaviour who agreed to be named.
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who → allege → behaviour
She claims that, as a 24-year-old aspiring model, Mr Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter by suggesting it would advance her career.
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it → claim → career
Ms Wall said that in 1998, she was invited to Mr Sullivan's Essex mansion for what she had believed would be a business meeting.
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she → say → mansion
She recalled being surprised to find him dressed very informally, in flip-flops, red shorts and a T-shirt.
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She → recall → flops
David Sullivan (right) remains West Ham United's leading shareholder - he is pictured in February 2011 with former club directors Karren Brady (centre) and the late David Gold (left)
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he → remain → directors
Sacha Wall is the only alleged victim who agreed to be named in the Panorama broadcast and says Sullivan tried to have sex with her in exchange for help with her career
A 1990s-era modelling shot of Ms Wall, from around the time she claims Sullivan tried to pressure her into a sexual encounter
Mr Sullivan leafed through her modelling portfolio while repeating 'very nice, very nice', in a way that made her uncomfortable, Ms Wall says.
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Wall → allege → way
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.
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she → say → 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.
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she → tell → bra
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?'
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he → tell → him
Ms Wall said she was 'really scared' to find the door locked when she tried to leave, but that Mr Sullivan opened it when she demanded to be let out.
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she → say → it
She later appeared in his Sport newspaper, but said she was often given the worst jobs.
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she → appear → jobs
A woman, whose name was changed to Anna by the publishers of the investigation, appeared in the Sport the month after her 17th birthday.
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name → change → birthday
She entered the Miss Sport competition, which involved sending photos into the newspaper.
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which → enter → newspaper
David Sullivan is pictured promoting his Sunday Sport newspaper in August 1988
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 Mr 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 Mr Sullivan 'took away her innocence' when she was pressured into sleeping with him in 1999.
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she → picture → 1999
The Panorama and Times investigation also found that Mr Sullivan was banned from contact with West Ham's women's and youth teams for the past three years due to safeguarding concerns after a historical allegation into his alleged conduct was raised with the FA in 2023.
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allegation → find → 2023
Mr Sullivan has denied the allegation and says he has never met any academy or women's player 'one-to-one' during his 16-year tenure at West Ham.
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he → deny → Ham
Mr Sullivan's business enterprises have included sex shops, 0898 chatlines, pornographic magazines such as Penthouse and the newspapers the Sunday Sport and the Daily Sport.
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enterprises → include → Penthouse
In a statement published on West Ham's official website ahead of the Panorama broadcast, Mr Sullivan branded the BBC's claims 'entirely false' and 'sensationalised'.
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Sullivan → publish → claims
He said: '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.
'
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individuals → say → publication
I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality.'
He said he was stepping down as West Ham chairman 'to apply my full energy and attention on fighting these false allegations'.
He added: 'I have officially engaged my legal team and we are preparing to issue legal proceedings in respect of each and every false complaint that has been made against me.
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that → believe → me
I will be seeking full redress, legally and publicly, on every single front.'
It was later revealed that police investigations going back 18 years, looking into sexual misconduct accusations against Mr Sullivan, were dropped without charge.
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investigations → seek → charge
Reports also told how the Football Association took safeguarding action against him three years ago, stopping him from having contact with West Ham United's women's and youth teams.
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Association → tell → teams
Mr Sullivan described this as a 'temporary agreement' following an 'anonymous complaint regarding an event in 1981' which he said 'had nothing to do about my time in football and it never happened.'
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it → describe → football
Operators of West Ham's London Stadium home as well as the club's Fan Advisory Board have called for him to stay away from the ground.
But he was seen attending West Ham's home victory over Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup in August.
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he → call → August
The suggested £150million lawsuit plans were reported today by the Telegraph.
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plans → suggest → Telegraph
Mr Sullivan and the BBC have been approached for comment.
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Sullivan → approach → comment
The Aporia
