David Sullivan’s Sport Newspapers Used Underage Girls as ‘Bait for Predatory Men’, Says Former Victims’ Commissioner
David Sullivan’s Sport Newspapers Used Underage Girls as ‘Bait for Predatory Men’, Says Former Victims’ Commissioner
David Sullivan’s Sport newspapers deliberately used sexualised images of underage girls as “bait for predatory men”, the former victims’ commissioner Vera Baird has said, as scrutiny intensifies over the tabloid publisher’s decades-long conduct and his continued role as West Ham United’s largest shareholder.
The ‘Countdown to 16’ Feature
The allegations centre on a recurring feature in Sullivan’s Daily Sport and Sunday Sport titles, in which young models were photographed in lingerie and bikinis in the weeks before their 16th birthdays — the age at which they could legally be shown topless.
Sullivan founded the Sunday Sport in 1986 and the Daily Sport in 1991. For more than 15 years, both titles ran content celebrating models’ 16th birthdays with semi-naked imagery. Some models appeared in sexualised shoots while still 15.
One 15-year-old model was photographed with only her hands covering her chest. In another instance, the newspaper printed drawings depicting how readers imagined a different 15-year-old girl would look topless.
Baird, the former victims’ commissioner, said the practice represented a deliberate inversion of child protection law. “The age rules are there to protect vulnerable children from exploitation, but this inverts that protection by using underage girls in sexualised images, as bait for predatory men,” she said.
“It is deliberately coming as close as possible to breaking the law to show it is naughty but nice to like children,” Baird added. She concluded that Sullivan was “not a man who should have any safeguarding responsibilities.”
At the time, the Sport maintained it had acted legally by withholding fully topless images until subjects turned 16. Legislation changed in 2004, making it illegal to publish indecent images of anyone under 18.
Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Sullivan, 77, announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham on Saturday, hours before a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times published allegations from seven women accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Three women alleged that Sullivan abused his position as owner of the Sport titles to coerce them into sex while they were seeking employment. A further four accused him of exploitative and predatory behaviour, including attempts to pressure them into sex during business meetings.
The allegations span decades, beginning in the 1980s, and involve women who were in their late teens and early twenties at the time. Through his lawyers, Sullivan has “categorically” denied all allegations.
In a statement, Sullivan 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.” His lawyers did not respond to a subsequent request for comment.
Football Regulator Launches Suitability Review
Despite his resignation as co-chair and director, Sullivan retains a 38.8% shareholding in West Ham — making him the club’s largest shareholder. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR), established under the Football Governance Act 2024, now has the power to compel him to divest that stake if he is deemed unsuitable.
The IFR oversees an owners, directors and senior executives (ODSE) regime across the Premier League and English Football League, and can expel individuals it considers unfit to hold such positions.
An IFR spokesperson said: “These are extremely serious allegations. We are in contact with West Ham on this matter and will use our statutory powers to seek urgent information from David Sullivan relating to his suitability under our owners, directors and senior executives regime.”
Sullivan has been a prominent figure in English football for more than 30 years. Prior to his involvement with West Ham, he co-owned Birmingham City.
No Contrition, Critics Say
Former Home Office minister Alex Davies-Jones questioned whether Sullivan should ever have been permitted to hold a powerful role in football given his prior business practices.
Davies-Jones acknowledged that Sullivan had not broken the law through his ownership of the Sport titles, but said he had shown no recognition of the broader harm caused by their content.
“There is no atonement, no contrition, no recognition of how that business model fuels a culture of violence against women and girls,” she said.
Some models who appeared in the newspapers at 16 have since said their involvement in glamour modelling affected their education and had a lasting detrimental impact on their mental health.