Phillip Schofield brother found guilty of sexually abusing a boy

The brother of television presenter Phillip Schofield has been found guilty of sexually abusing a boy.

Timothy Schofield, 54, from Bath denied 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019.

Schofield, who was a civilian worker for Avon and Somerset Police at the time of the offences, was found guilty of all charges.

Phillip Schofield said after the verdict: “As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”

The jury at Exeter Crown Court found him guilty with a majority of 10-2 after more than five-and-a-half hours’ deliberating.

In a statement released by his lawyer, Phillip Schofield said his brother had committed a “despicable” crime.

“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.”

During the trial, Timothy Schofield denied performing sexual acts on the boy but admitted he had watched pornography with the teenager and they had masturbated while sitting apart.

The jury previously heard how he had confessed to his TV star brother in September 2021 about watching pornography with the teenager on one occasion, claiming it had happened after the boy was 16, the age of consent.

Phillip Schofield described in a written statement read to the court how his brother had phoned him in an agitated and upset state, and Mr Schofield had invited him to drive to his home in London.

He told how his brother said “You are going to hate me for what I am about to say”, with him assuring him there was nothing he could say that would do that.

Mr Schofield said in the statement: “Then he said that he and [the boy] had time together and that last year they had watched porn … and [masturbated]”.

The This Morning presenter’s statement issued after the guilty verdict on Monday said: “If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family,” adding that he welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, told the court the boy’s evidence showed the abuse in fact began when he was aged 13.

Timothy Schofield has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 19 May.

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