What has Phillip Schofield said about his brother’s child sex offences?
Timothy Schofield was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday
The paedophile brother of This Morning host Phillip Schofield has been jailed over child sex offences.
Timothy Schofield, 54, was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, after a trial at Exeter Crown Court.
Schofield, a civilian police worker who was today jailed for 12 years, told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy who he insisted was over the age of 16 at the time.
He claimed they had masturbated while sitting apart and denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.
Phillip Schofield has spoken out several times since the guilty verdict in April, publicly denouncing his sibling’s actions and even insisting he “no longer” has a brother.
In a statement released by his lawyer after his brother was convicted, he 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.”
The ITV presenter, the elder sibling, took a period of pre-planned leave around the trial and returned to This Morning in mid-April, taking the opportunity to thank fans for their support.
“I wanted to say that it is really lovely to be back. I have missed the show, everyone here, and also to you (the viewers),” he said on his return. “And I wanted to say thank you for all your kind messages and support, which were really appreciated, so thank you very much indeed. On with the show.”
Earlier this month, The Sun reported his absence had contributed to a “cooling” of his friendship with co-host Holly Willoughby.
But in a statement, Schofield, 61, told the paper: “As I have said before, Holly is my rock. We’re the best of friends – as always, she is an incredible support on screen, behind the scenes and on the phone.
“Holly has always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I’ve been there for her.
“The last few weeks haven’t been easy for either of us.”
Mr Schofield added: “My family went through a real ordeal, and Holly’s support throughout meant the world to me – as did the support of my bosses at ITV, my editor Martin Frizell and the whole This Morning family, including our amazing viewers.
“And of course Holly has herself been ill with shingles.
“Whatever happens, we still have each other to count on.”
Timothy Schofield 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 has now been jailed for 12 years.
Mrs Justice Cutts, sentencing Schofield at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, told him: “You exploited his innocence at this stage of his life for your own sexual gratification.
“It was wrong on every level for you to behave as you did.
“He felt forced to do what you wanted, trapped and unable to escape. He felt he couldn’t tell anyone and did not do so for many years.
“You took away his ability to be the teenager he should have been – carefree, relaxed, happy. It is clear to me that you became utterly obsessed with him.”