The BBC radio presenter Tony Livesey has left the broadcaster after allegations have been raised about his earlier profession because the editor-in-chief of David Sullivan’s Sport newspapers.
Staff at 5 Live, the place Livesey had most not too long ago introduced the 10pm to 1am present 4 days per week, have been informed he wouldn’t be returning to the station, having stepped away from the position after the allegations first emerged.
His departure follows a BBC Panorama investigation, which accused Sullivan, a billionaire and co-owner of West Ham United, of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour in direction of ladies over a number of many years.
Sullivan has denied the allegations, saying via his legal professionals: “I categorically deny all of these complaints.”
The investigation additionally aired questions for Livesey, 62, with one alleged sufferer saying he had organized a gathering between her and Sullivan.
Livesey has mentioned he has “no recollection” of introducing the younger lady to Sullivan and that it was “not part” of his job to take action. He mentioned he had had “practically zero” contact with anybody showing within the paper, comparable to feminine fashions.
A passage in a 1998 ebook by Livesey mentioned he and Sullivan had devised the concept for a “countdown to 16” function, which featured countdowns to fashions’ sixteenth birthdays, after they could possibly be pictured topless legally for the primary time.
Livesey has since mentioned the function was “categorically” not his concept and that enormous elements of his ebook have been “fictionalised” to make it seem he was “at the centre of all stories”, even when he had not been.
In a message to BBC workers on Monday, Heidi Dawson, the controller of 5 Live, mentioned Livesey had determined to go away his presenting position. “Tony has worked at 5 Live for 16 years and was the first voice for us on air as we launched from our new home in Salford,” she mentioned.
“He went on to be the voice of our iconic Drive show for 10 years where he was at the heart of our coverage of Brexit … Tony has been at the heart of our coverage of every major news and sporting event for a decade and a half.
“Tony has asked me to pass on his heartfelt thanks to the brilliant colleagues at 5 Live who he has had the pleasure of working with over the years. I know many of you have also really enjoyed working with Tony, and we wish him well for all his future endeavours.”
The BBC didn’t touch upon the conclusions of its investigation into the problems raised by Panorama.
Sullivan, 77, announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham United on 6 June, earlier than the publication of a joint investigation by the BBC and the Times that reported on seven ladies who had accused him of sexual misconduct.
Three alleged Sullivan had abused his energy as proprietor of the Sport newspapers to prey on them for intercourse after they have been searching for work. Four accused him of exploitative and predatory behaviour, together with allegations he tried to stress them into intercourse throughout enterprise conferences.
Livesey grew to become editor-in-chief on the Sport titles after beginning as a reporter. He spent 18 years on the firm. He left in 2006 to focus on his broadcasting profession on the BBC.
One lady alleged she had been taken to the places of work of the Sport newspaper titles in Manchester, the place she was launched to Livesey, then the editor. She mentioned he then known as Sullivan to arrange a gathering.
The identical lady then described an undesirable sexual encounter with Sullivan, which occurred throughout the assembly.
At the time he stepped down from the Sport, Livesey mentioned: “It’s a much-maligned newspaper in places, but those in the business know that no national newspaper could make a profit from day one to now without being excellent in its field.
“The Independent launched in the same year as us and it’s made a loss every year, as far as I’m aware. We’ve made a profit every year.
“When the big stories come along, we do them seriously, but we just try and give people a laugh, and that’s all I’ve done for 18 years.”
