The BBC radio presenter Tony Livesey has left the broadcaster after allegations were raised about his previous career as the editor-in-chief of David Sullivan’s Sport newspapers.
Staff at 5 Live, where Livesey had most recently presented the 10pm to 1am show four days a week, were told he would not be returning to the station, having stepped away from the role 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 towards women over several decades.
Sullivan has denied the allegations, saying through his lawyers: “I categorically deny all of these complaints.”
The investigation also aired questions for Livesey, 62, with one alleged victim saying he had arranged a meeting between her and Sullivan.
Livesey has said he has “no recollection” of introducing the young woman to Sullivan and that it was “not part” of his job to do so. He said he had had “practically zero” contact with anyone appearing in the paper, such as female models.
A passage in a 1998 book by Livesey said he and Sullivan had devised the idea for a “countdown to 16” feature, which featured countdowns to models’ 16th birthdays, when they could be pictured topless legally for the first time.
Livesey has since said the feature was “categorically” not his idea and that large parts of his book were “fictionalised” to make it appear he was “at the centre of all stories”, even if he had not been.
In a message to BBC staff on Monday, Heidi Dawson, the controller of 5 Live, said Livesey had decided to leave his presenting role. “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 said.
“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 did not comment on the conclusions of its investigation into the issues raised by Panorama.
Sullivan, 77, announced his resignation as a director and co-chair of West Ham United on 6 June, before the publication of a joint investigation by the BBC and the Times that reported on seven women who had accused him of sexual misconduct.
Three alleged Sullivan had abused his power as owner of the Sport newspapers to prey on them for sex when they were seeking work. Four accused him of exploitative and predatory behaviour, including allegations he tried to pressure them into sex during business meetings.
Livesey became editor-in-chief at the Sport titles after starting as a reporter. He spent 18 years at the company. He left in 2006 to concentrate on his broadcasting career at the BBC.
One woman alleged she had been taken to the offices of the Sport newspaper titles in Manchester, where she was introduced to Livesey, then the editor. She said he then called Sullivan to set up a meeting.
The same woman then described an unwanted sexual encounter with Sullivan, which took place during the meeting.
At the time he stepped down from the Sport, Livesey said: “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.”