Billionaire Boss Accused — Models Speak Out

A powerful British football boss is under fire after seven women say he used his media empire to pressure young models for sex.

Story Snapshot

Seven women told BBC Panorama and The Times that billionaire David Sullivan used his power to prey on them for sex.^[1]
The women say they were young models seeking work in Sullivan’s tabloid papers when the alleged abuse began in the 1980s.^[1]
Sullivan, who made his fortune in pornography and later ran West Ham United, has issued a blanket denial.^[1]^[2]
Police in London and Essex received complaints from at least seven women, but none of the cases led to criminal charges.^[1]

Allegations Against a Powerful Football and Media Boss

A joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times reported that seven women accuse billionaire businessman David Sullivan of “sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour” stretching back to the 1980s.^[1] Reporters say every woman was in her late teens or early twenties at the time and was trying to get modeling work in his Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers.^[1] The women claim Sullivan abused his power as owner to seek sexual access during what were supposed to be business meetings.^[1]

According to the investigation, several women say Sullivan linked their careers to their willingness to sleep with him or perform sexual acts.^[1] The BBC report describes a pattern where he allegedly offered to “boost their careers” if they had sex with him or gave him oral sex.^[1] One former model agent, cited by The Times, claimed that “everyone knew” that having sex with Sullivan was seen as a way to get into his papers, suggesting a wider culture around his tabloids that blurred work and sex.

Specific Claims From Named Women and Police Involvement

The BBC report highlights named complainants who gave detailed, date-linked accounts of what they say happened.^[1] One woman, identified as Sasha, described a 1998 visit to Sullivan’s Essex mansion where she says he locked a door, told her to strip, and asked her to perform a sex act.^[1] Another woman, called Florence, says a 1999 business meeting at his home turned into pressure to have sex, even as she repeatedly told him, “I don’t want to.”^[1] Both say they were young models seeking work.

The investigation says police were told about some of these claims.^[1] The BBC reports that at least seven women made allegations about Sullivan’s behaviour to the Metropolitan Police in London and to Essex Police.^[1] None of those reports led to criminal charges.^[1] That fact does not prove the claims are false, but it does mean there has been no courtroom test of the evidence so far. The long time gap since the 1980s and 1990s also makes hard proof and witness recall more difficult.^[1]

Sullivan’s Denial, His Past, and What Conservatives Can Learn

David Sullivan has publicly and categorically denied all the complaints reported by BBC Panorama and The Times, calling the investigation “fundamentally unfair.”^[1]^[2] His lawyers specifically challenge Florence’s allegation, saying her story is implausible given the layout of his house.^[1] Separate reporting notes that Sullivan once admitted paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl he believed was 16 or 17 years old, which he said was legal at that time but would be illegal now.^[1]^[2] That admission fuels concern about his judgment even if it was not then a crime.

My thoughts are with the victims following tonight’s Panorama on David Sullivan.

Tonight’s Panorama has raised serious questions about his conduct, and the complicity of the media and sporting industry’s failure to protect women.

The claims within it are deeply disturbing.… https://t.co/eEVsQenMAw

— Uma Kumaran MP (@Uma_Kumaran) June 8, 2026

For American readers, this story is a reminder of what happens when huge cultural and financial power sits in the hands of one man with almost no oversight. Sullivan built his fortune in the pornography trade before moving into tabloid newspapers and then top-flight football ownership.^[2] That mix of adult content, celebrity access, and young people desperate for a break creates a textbook power imbalance.^[1] When the system relies on trust instead of clear rules, abuse allegations and bitter denials become almost inevitable.