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Tag: Timothy Schofield

  • Timothy Schofield given a 12-year prison term over sex abuse

    Timothy Schofield given a 12-year prison term over sex abuse

    On Friday, Timothy Schofield was given a 12-year prison term at Bristol Crown Court.

    After a trial at Exeter Crown Court earlier last month, Schofield, 54, the brother of television personality Phillip Schofield, was found guilty of 11 sexual offences involving children, including two counts of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child.

    He had “exploited [the victim’s] innocence at this stage of his life for your own sexual gratification,” Mrs. Justice Cutts told him during Friday’s sentencing.

    ‘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.’

    Mrs Cutts went on to commend the boy on coming forward to report the abuse.

    In a victim impact statement, the victim, who was a teenager at the time of the abuse, said he had become ‘numb to life.’

    ‘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,’ he said in a letter read to court by Robin Shellard, prosecuting.

    ‘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.’

    The boy added in the statement via PA: ‘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.’

    Late last month, Schofield was sacked from his job as a police IT worker.

    He worked in IT for Avon and Somerset Police and had already been suspended from his job at police HQ in Portishead after he was arrested and charged.

    Following his convictions, a misconduct hearing was chaired by assistant chief constable Will White and he was dismissed without notice.

    Earlier in April, Schofield was charged with 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019 – including two of sexual activity with a child.

    Schofield told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy – whom he insisted was over the age of 16 at that time – and they had masturbated while sitting apart but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.

    Following the verdict, Phillip issued a statement condemning the actions of his brother in which he said: ‘As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.’

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

    He 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.

  • Timothy Schofield, the brother of Phillip Schofield, was convicted of sexual abuse

    Timothy Schofield, the brother of Phillip Schofield, was convicted of sexual abuse

    The sexual abuse of a teenage boy over a three-year period was found to be committed by Timothy Schofield, the brother of This Morning host Phillip Schofield, at Exeter Crown Court.

    At the courthouse, Schofield was on trial for 11 sexual offenses against children, including two counts of engaging in sexual conduct with a child, that occurred between October 2016 and October 2019.

    In his testimony before the jury, the 54-year-old civilian police officer from Bath said that he had watched porn with the youngster, who he insisted was older than 16 at the time, and that they had masturbated while sitting apart, but he denied having intercourse with the teenager.

    He is said to have told his TV star brother about some of the alleged offending in September 2021.

    Following the verdict, Phillip issued a statement condemning the actions of his brother in which he said: ‘As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.’

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

    He 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.

    Last Monday, Phillip’s younger brother arrived at court for the beginning of proceedings wearing a grey shirt.

    He was reported to have been seen shaking his head as the charges were read out to him.

    Jurors heard that the younger Schofield was eventually confronted by the alleged victim in 2021.

    On Friday, the jury heard closing speeches from the barrister representing the Crown and Schofield’s lawyer.

    Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said: ‘There are good reasons why society – and we here are all part of this society and the law which is founded because of society – treats those under 18 and those under 16 not as full adults.

    ‘Society tries to protect children from adults who want to abuse them and tries to protect children from themselves.

    ‘We are not dealing with morals but criminal abuse against a child’.

    During his evidence, Schofield said the watching of pornography and the masturbation began after the boy turned 16.

    Robin told the jury: ‘The question you must ask yourself, was this going on for some 18 months when he was just past his 16th birthday and finished by August 2021?

    ‘Or was this going on for longer and quite deliberately?’

    The lawyer continued and said the evidence from the boy was that the abuse started when he was 13 and the barrister suggested the account was ‘restrained’.

    Peter Binder, defending, said that in a court of public morals Schofield would be guilty of the gravest of crimes.

    ‘Cases like this often expose a strong emotional response in the listener and it can be natural to have sympathy for the complainant and it is natural to have strong feelings of antipathy towards the accused’, he said.

    ‘By the end of all the evidence in this case and after all you heard, there may be some of your number who may be forgiven for hating him too.

    ‘In a court of public morals, Timothy Schofield would be guilty of the most serious crimes, and yet, members of the jury, matters of themselves do not make him guilty of these offences.

    ‘This is a court of law and not a court of public morals, and its entirely proper, due to the oaths and affirmations you have taken, to put aside all your feelings of antipathy and revulsion you feel towards the defendant and try this case and these charges on the evidence.

    ‘You must be utterly dispassionate.

    ‘This case boils down one person’s word – that of the boy – against the other – that of the defendant’.

    He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.

    After the verdict, an NSPCC spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘Child sexual abuse can have devastating and long-lasting impact on a person’s life and Timothy Schofield’s actions were deeply harmful.

    ‘We hope that the young man he targeted is receiving all the support he needs to move forward with his life.

    ‘It is so important that those who have experienced abuse are empowered to speak out, and that members of the public feel equally empowered to talk to someone if they are worried about a young person, no matter who they are or when it happened.

    ‘Adults who are concerned about a child can speak to a trained child protection specialist at the NSPCC Helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk, while Childline is there for young people on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk.

    ‘We would also encourage everyone and anyone to take the NSPCC’s free 10 minute training, ‘Listen Up, Speak Up’ available on our website, to know what to do if a child needs help, and where to go if you need support yourself.

    ‘That little bit of knowledge can help keep a lot of children safe’.