Tony Livesey has stepped back from presenting his BBC radio show following allegations relating to his time as the editor of the Sport newspapers under David Sullivan.
Investigation into David Sullivan
The Times and BBC Panorama published a joint investigation in which several women accused West Ham co-owner David Sullivan of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour over several decades. The allegations come from women who were in their late teens or early twenties and were young models seeking work at the Daily and Sunday Sport newspapers.
The women claimed that Sullivan, 77, preyed on them for sex, pressuring them during business meetings by saying he would boost their careers if they slept with him or gave him oral sex.
Sullivan's Denial
Mr Sullivan, who announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham on Saturday, strongly denied the allegations. In a statement, he said: "I categorically deny all of these complaints." He called them "factually incorrect and entirely false" and the result of a "fundamentally unfair" investigation.
Tony Livesey's Role
Tony Livesey, 62, spent 18 years at Sullivan's Sport newspapers, becoming editor-in-chief. He left in 2006 to work for the BBC and currently presents a topical three-hour show on Radio 5 live from Monday to Thursday.
He signed off from Thursday's show by telling listeners "see you next week" but did not appear on Monday evening. The BBC said Livesey had asked to take a break from presenting for a "short time" while the corporation considers the issues raised by the investigation.
Allegations Against Livesey
One alleged victim claimed she was forced to have sex with Sullivan when she did not want to, and that she was introduced to him by Livesey in 1999. She said she thought the meeting would be about her career, but Sullivan told her she would have more prominent work if she had sex with him.
Livesey told The Times he had "no recollection" of introducing the woman to Sullivan, that it was "not part" of his job to do so, and that he had "great sympathy for a woman who may have become a victim." He said he had "practically zero" contact with female models and found the allegation "abhorrent."
Countdown to 16 Feature
The investigation also looked at a "Countdown to 16" feature that ran in the Sport newspapers during Livesey's tenure. The feature presented photos of partially clothed schoolgirls, accompanied with countdowns to their 16th birthdays, after which they could be pictured topless. 16 was the minimum age someone could legally appear topless at the time; it was raised to 18 in 2004.
In a book written by Livesey, he claimed he and Sullivan devised the feature, but he now denies this. He said it was "categorically" not his idea and that large parts of the book were fictionalised to make it appear he was "at the centre of all stories."
BBC Statement
A BBC spokesman said: "The Panorama investigation included allegations about Tony Livesey which we take seriously. We also note Tony has firmly denied the allegations. He has asked to step back from presenting his radio show for a short period and we will be considering the matters raised by the programme. We will not be commenting further at this stage."
