David Sullivan
Encyclopedia
David Sullivan is a Welsh
-born British
businessman
and pornographer, who is also joint-chairman of West Ham United
.
He graduated in Economics from Queen Mary College, University of London
. From 1986 until 2007 he owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport
which he sold for £40 million. In 2004, Sullivan was named by The Sunday Times
as Britain's 68th richest man, with assets valued at over £500 million.
serviceman, Sullivan grew up living in a Penarth council house
. When Sullivan was 10 years old his father was posted to Aden
where they lived for a year, returning to the UK to live in Hornchurch
. He attended the Abbs Cross
school and gained ten O Levels. After his family moved to Hertfordshire
he attended Watford
Boys Grammar School obtaining three A levels. He read Economics
at Queen Mary College
, narrowly missing a first.
's petrol stations which paid him £30 a week. He entered the porn market at 21 by producing porn pictures weekly and selling sheets of photos by mail order, earning him £700 to £800 a week.
), The Playbirds (1978), Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair (1979) and Queen of the Blues (1979), all starring his then-girlfriend Mary Millington
. After Millington's suicide in August 1979 he continued with Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980) and Emmanuelle in Soho (1981). In 1982 Sullivan was convicted of living off immoral earnings and served 71 days in prison.
, named after his son, participated in many Group 1 races around the world and was trained by Irish trainer Brian Meehan; David Junior is now a sire in Japan. Sullivan also has a horse in training, named after another one of his sons, which featured in the 2007 flat racing season. He is the owner of the original Grand National
trophy and the largest collection of racing
trophies in the country
.
with David Gold and Ralph Gold. However, in 2007 Sullivan expressed his desire to sell his share in the club. Sullivan stated he had three reasons for why he wanted to leave. "One, the geographical distance. I've said for years the journey to Birmingham is killing me. Two, I think deep down the public have had enough of us. They think we should have mortgaged our houses to buy more players to compete with Chelsea and Arsenal. The honeymoon is long over and we're at the divorce stage now, unfortunately. And I also feel we've had no support from Birmingham council."
In April 2008, Sullivan and Birmingham City F.C. managing director Karren Brady
were released on bail
after being arrested by City of London Police
and questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud
and false accounting
in connection with an ongoing investigation of alleged corruption in English football
. In August 2009 it was confirmed that no action would be taken.
Sullivan attributed major blame for Birmingham's 2008 relegation from the Premier League to previous manager Steve Bruce's player signings, and suggested he wanted to sell his stake in the club following the behaviour of sections of the crowd at the last game of the 2007–08 season.
, giving them operational and commercial control. They assumed joint-chairmanship. On 25 May 2010, the pair increased their stake in West Ham to 60% (Sullivan with 30%). Vice-chairman Karren Brady
later said the move gave the football club "the much-needed stability that it needs."
, Essex
. It was built by Ashby and Horner to Sullivan's design in 1992 and set in around 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of land, at a cost of £7.5m for the land and building. His partner is Emma Benton-Hughes, sister of Jonny Trunk
, who met Sullivan while she was working as a model for his pornographic magazines under her previously married name of Eve Vorley. The couple have two children, David and Jack.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and pornographer, who is also joint-chairman of West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
He graduated in Economics from Queen Mary College, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. From 1986 until 2007 he owned the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out...
which he sold for £40 million. In 2004, Sullivan was named by The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
as Britain's 68th richest man, with assets valued at over £500 million.
Early life
The son of an RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
serviceman, Sullivan grew up living in a Penarth council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
. When Sullivan was 10 years old his father was posted to Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
where they lived for a year, returning to the UK to live in Hornchurch
Hornchurch
Hornchurch is a large suburban town in England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Hornchurch is in North-East London .It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan. It comprises a number of shopping...
. He attended the Abbs Cross
Abbs Cross School And Arts College
Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College is situated on Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch, in the London Borough of Havering. Abbs Cross is now an Arts College...
school and gained ten O Levels. After his family moved to Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
he attended Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
Boys Grammar School obtaining three A levels. He read Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at Queen Mary College
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, narrowly missing a first.
Career
Sullivan began his career at Gerald RonsonGerald Ronson
Gerald Maurice Ronson is a British business tycoon and philanthropist.-Career:Aged 15, Ronson left school and joined his father in the family furniture business, named Heron after his father Henry. The company expanded into other activities; in the mid-1960s Ronson brought the first self-service...
's petrol stations which paid him £30 a week. He entered the porn market at 21 by producing porn pictures weekly and selling sheets of photos by mail order, earning him £700 to £800 a week.
Pornography
A millionaire by 25, with his partner, David Gold, Sullivan moved into the adult entertainment industry; his business empire encompassing sex shops, adult magazines and several low-budget blue movies. By the mid-1970s, Sullivan was in control of half of the adult magazine market. In the late 1970s he produced several low-budget British sex movies including Come Play with Me (1977) (directed by Harrison MarksHarrison Marks
George Harrison Marks was a British glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films who was active in the fields for several decades.-Kamera and Pamela Green:...
), The Playbirds (1978), Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair (1979) and Queen of the Blues (1979), all starring his then-girlfriend Mary Millington
Mary Millington
Mary Millington was a British model and pornographic actress. She has been described as one of the "two hottest British sex film stars of the seventies", the other being Fiona Richmond....
. After Millington's suicide in August 1979 he continued with Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980) and Emmanuelle in Soho (1981). In 1982 Sullivan was convicted of living off immoral earnings and served 71 days in prison.
Horse racing
More recently Sullivan has invested heavily in racehorses. His horse David JuniorDavid Junior
David Junior is a retired thoroughbred racehorse and active sire, who was bred in the United States but trained in the United Kingdom during his racing career which lasted from 2004 to 2006...
, named after his son, participated in many Group 1 races around the world and was trained by Irish trainer Brian Meehan; David Junior is now a sire in Japan. Sullivan also has a horse in training, named after another one of his sons, which featured in the 2007 flat racing season. He is the owner of the original Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
trophy and the largest collection of racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
trophies in the country
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Birmingham City
Despite being a lifelong West Ham United fan, in 1993 Sullivan bought into Birmingham City F.C.Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
with David Gold and Ralph Gold. However, in 2007 Sullivan expressed his desire to sell his share in the club. Sullivan stated he had three reasons for why he wanted to leave. "One, the geographical distance. I've said for years the journey to Birmingham is killing me. Two, I think deep down the public have had enough of us. They think we should have mortgaged our houses to buy more players to compete with Chelsea and Arsenal. The honeymoon is long over and we're at the divorce stage now, unfortunately. And I also feel we've had no support from Birmingham council."
In April 2008, Sullivan and Birmingham City F.C. managing director Karren Brady
Karren Brady
Karren Brady is an English sporting executive, television broadcaster, newspaper columnist, author and novelist. She is the former managing director of Birmingham City Football Club and current vice-chairman of West Ham United...
were released on bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
after being arrested by City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
and questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud
Conspiracy to defraud
Conspiracy to defraud is an offence under the common law of England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-England and Wales:The standard definition of a conspiracy to defraud was provided by Lord Dilhorne in Scott v Metropolitan Police Commissioner, when he said that Conspiracy to defraud therefore...
and false accounting
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
in connection with an ongoing investigation of alleged corruption in English football
2006 allegations of corruption in English football
In 2006, several allegations were made of corruption in English football by sources inside and outside of the game.-January - Managers:In January 2006, then Luton Town manager, Mike Newell and then-manager of Queens Park Rangers, Ian Holloway alleged that backhanders were rife in the sport.The...
. In August 2009 it was confirmed that no action would be taken.
Sullivan attributed major blame for Birmingham's 2008 relegation from the Premier League to previous manager Steve Bruce's player signings, and suggested he wanted to sell his stake in the club following the behaviour of sections of the crowd at the last game of the 2007–08 season.
West Ham United
In January 2010 Sullivan and David Gold acquired 50 percent of English football club West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, giving them operational and commercial control. They assumed joint-chairmanship. On 25 May 2010, the pair increased their stake in West Ham to 60% (Sullivan with 30%). Vice-chairman Karren Brady
Karren Brady
Karren Brady is an English sporting executive, television broadcaster, newspaper columnist, author and novelist. She is the former managing director of Birmingham City Football Club and current vice-chairman of West Ham United...
later said the move gave the football club "the much-needed stability that it needs."
Personal life
Sullivan lives in Birch Hall, near Theydon BoisTheydon Bois
Theydon Bois is a large residential village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located 1.4 miles south of Epping, 0.85 miles northeast of Loughton and 6 miles south of Harlow.Theydon Bois is within the bounds of the M25 motorway and is situated...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It was built by Ashby and Horner to Sullivan's design in 1992 and set in around 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of land, at a cost of £7.5m for the land and building. His partner is Emma Benton-Hughes, sister of Jonny Trunk
Trunk Records
Trunk Records is a British independent record label, which specialises mainly in lost film scores, unreleased TV music, library music, sexploitation and kitsch releases...
, who met Sullivan while she was working as a model for his pornographic magazines under her previously married name of Eve Vorley. The couple have two children, David and Jack.
Sources
- Simon Sheridan Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema 2007 (third edition) (Reynolds & Hearn books)
- Simon Sheridan Come Play with Me: The Life and Films of Mary Millington 1999 (FAB Press, Guildford)
- Mark Killick The Sultan of Sleaze 1994 (Penguin UK)
