‘I no longer have a brother’: Phillip Schofield disowns sibling guilty of child sex abuse

Phillip Schofield said his brother Timothy’s crimes were ‘despicable’

Phillip Schofield said he “no longer has a brother” after his sibling was convicted of sexually abusing a teenager over a period of three years.

Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

In a statement released by his lawyer following the verdicts, ITV presenter Phillip said: “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.”

Phillip has been absent from This Morning since Monday 27 March and is expected to remain off-screen for the next two weeks due to a scheduled break for the Easter holidays.

Timothy, 54, told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy and they had masturbated while sitting apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.

He claimed that the boy was over the age of 16 at the time.

Timothy Schofield leaves Exeter Crown Court (Matt Keeble/PA) (PA Wire)

The boy, who alleged the offending started when he was 13, told the jury he felt “emotionally blackmailed” by Timothy and “forced” to participate in sexual activity.

Philip said in a written statement read out in court that his brother had phoned him in an agitated and upset state, so he had invited him to drive to his home in London.

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The court heard of a meeting between Phillip Schofield and his brother (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)

The court heard they spent several hours talking, including eating a meal, before he went to do the washing-up.

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.

Phillip 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)”.

“I turned and said, ‘What did you just say?’ He said it was last year and we were alone together. Tim said it was just this once. I told him it should never happen again. He then started to tell me about (the boy’s) body.

Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences at Exeter Crown Court (pictured) (PA Archive)

“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.

“I said, ‘I don’t want you to tell me any more’. I said, ‘You’ve got to stop, just never do it again. Regardless how that happened, it must never happen again’.”

Timothy denied the charges but was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.

He was remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.

Additional reporting by Press Association

If you’re worried about a child, even if you’re unsure, you can contact professional counsellors at the NSPCC for help, advice and support by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk or calling 0808 800 5000. For those aged 18 or under, Childline offers free, confidential advice and support whatever your concern and whenever you need help. Call 0800 1111 or Contact Childline.