Phillip Schofield's brother Timothy jailed for child abuse

Timothy Schofield exploited his victim's innocence for his own sexual gratification, the judge said

The brother of TV presenter Phillip Schofield has been jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy.

Timothy Schofield was found guilty in April of 11 sexual offences involving a child between 2016 and 2019.

Following the verdict, the 54-year-old was sacked from his job as a civilian worker for Avon and Somerset Police.

Phillip Schofield said after the conviction: "As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother."

At Schofield's sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, the victim said in a statement he felt "trapped in a loop of fear and anxiety".

'Utterly obsessed'

Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Cutts said Schofield exploited his victim's innocence for his own sexual gratification.

"It was wrong on every level for you to behave as you did," she said.

"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."

She added: "I have not heard a single word of remorse from you, only self-pity."

Schofield was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity and three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was further convicted of three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.

The victim was interviewed by police after telling a school counsellor about the abuse.

He said he felt he had been "blackmailed emotionally" by Schofield.

'Numb to life'

The victim's statement continued: "Before Tim was arrested, I felt I had no freedom. I often felt panic, stress and fear. I felt like I was trapped in a loop of fear and anxiety of the abuse happening again.

"It was only after Tim was arrested that I felt safe. It was only after Tim was arrested that I felt free - free to be me, free to be happy, free to be relaxed.

"I feel more blunt, I feel more bitter, I feel numb to life. I know I should feel really happy or really sad but I don't have the ability to emotionally react to what is happening."

Schofield, from Bath, Somerset, claimed during his trial at Exeter Crown Court that he had watched pornography with the boy, but that the boy was over the age of 16 at the time.

He claimed the two of them had undertaken sexual acts while sitting apart, but denied performing the acts on the teen.

In September 2021 the abuser, who was arrested three months later, told his famous brother about performing sex acts with the victim present.

In a statement read during trial, the This Morning presenter said he had invited his brother to visit him in London after receiving a call from him in an "agitated and upset state".

'Never happen again'

He said he and his brother had a meal together and discussed mental health treatment, but his brother had confessed to the incidents involving pornography.

Mr Schofield's statement said: "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."

The presenter said his brother had then tried to give him more details about the incident.

"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," Mr Schofield said.

"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'."