Phillip Schofield disowns paedophile brother Timothy after he's convicted of sexually abusing boy
3 April 2023, 16:24 | Updated: 3 April 2023, 17:26
Phillip Schofield's brother Timothy has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three-year period.
Civilian police worker Timothy Schofield had been charged with 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019.
They are alleged to have started when the victim was a teenager, with the most serious charge involving a sex act with the charge.
Other offences include forcing the child to watch pornography and to engage in sexual activity as well as engaging in sexual activity in the child's presence.
He denied the charges but the jury found him guilty on Monday at Exeter Crown Court with a majority of 10-2 after more than five-and-a-half hours of deliberation.
Welcoming the guilty verdicts against his brother, This Morning host Phillip Schofield said: "As far as I am concerned I no longer have a brother."
In a statement released through his lawyer, he added: "My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.
"If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.
"These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother."
The court previously heard that the 54-year-old predator carried out the alleged attacks while working for Avon and Somerset Police as an IT technician.
Schofield, from Bath, told the jury he had watched pornography with the boy, who he insisted was aged over 16 at that time, and they had masturbated while sat apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.
The court heard how the defendant called his brother in an agitated and upset state, prompting Mr Schofield to invite him to drive to his home in London.
Mr Schofield said the pair spent hours talking over a meal when his brother told him about sexual acts he'd taken part in with a teenager.
"I said, 'F***, stop'. I shouted at Tim that he had to stop. I didn't want to know any of the details but he made it sound like a one-off," the TV presenter told the court in a statement.
Schofield has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.
