Phillip Schofield returns on This Morning about two weeks after his brother was found guilty of molesting a teenage boy – despite his friends fearing he’d never get back on TV.
The ITV presenter, 61, said ‘I don’t have a brother anymore’ last night as his sibling was found guilty of molesting the schoolboy for three years. He ‘welcomed’ the guilty verdicts and said Timothy Schofield, 54, had committed ‘despicable crimes’.
ITV said yesterday that Schofield will be returning to This Morning after the Easter break.
“Phillip is a much loved member of our team and we wanted to make sure we supported him,” a source at the channel told the Mail. “We’re so glad he’s back where he belongs.”
It’s understandable that friends of the star are still worried about him – some were so shocked by what happened that they thought Phillip would retire from our screens forever.
Phillip Schofield with Holly Willoughby on This Morning on March 23, 2023
Timothy Schofield told his TV star brother in September 2021 that he had engaged in a sexual act with the boy ‘last year’, according to testimony Phillip gave in court
“Can you imagine what he’s been through, it’s just so awful to see and hear it all come out,” said one. “It was a worry that he wouldn’t want to put himself out there again. He must be going through so many devastating emotions right now.”
It comes as the television star faced questions about whether he should have done more.
Schofield “ran and ranted” at Phillip’s home before confessing to committing a sexual act with the victim.
He said it only happened once and the celebrity understood that the victim was of age at the time, so he told him, “It must never happen again.”
He made a police statement on December 17, 2021 detailing the conversation – two weeks after his brother’s arrest and more than three months after the chat took place on September 12, 2021.
The statement was accepted by the prosecution and defense, meaning that Phillip was not called to testify and his statement was read to the court.
Nazir Afzal, who prosecuted the rochdale grooming gangs, told the Mail he felt Phillip “had a duty” to investigate his younger sibling more.
“The fact that they think they’ve done something wrong is up to you to act quickly on what you’ve been told.”
Dressed in a gray shirt, Schofield, from Bath, bowed his head as the jury found him guilty of all 11 counts by a majority of ten to two on each at Exeter Crown Court.
It took them just five hours and 41 minutes to convict the police IT technician for causing the victim to watch, engage in, and perform sexual acts in front of the boy.
Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sex offenses involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019
A statement released by Phillip Schofield following his brother’s sentencing today
Phillip Schofield pictured last week after taking time off from work while his brother, Timothy, was in court
Minutes after the verdict, 61-year-old Phillip posted on Instagram: “My overwhelming concern is and always has been for the well-being of the victim and his family. I hope their privacy is now respected.
“If my brother had ever confessed to a crime to me, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and his family.”
“These are despicable crimes and I welcome the convictions. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a brother anymore.’
The boy said that from his early teens he felt “emotionally blackmailed” and “coerced” into participating in sexual activities.
He bided his time until he had the “physical advantage” before confronting his abuser in August 2021 when he told the pedophile, “It will never happen again.”
Schofield called Phillip the following month and said he was suicidal before driving “in a state of heightened excitement” to his London home.
After switching between “furiously angry” and bursting into tears, the sex offender told Phillip during the dishes that he had masturbated and watched pornography with the boy.
The celebrity turned and asked, “What did you say?” His sibling then claimed that it was ‘just this time’ that prompted the TV presenter to tell him ‘it must never happen again’.
But in his statement, he makes no mention of asking for more details or clarification as to whether anything had happened when the victim was younger.
Instead, he simply told him to “stop” when he began describing the boy’s body.
Timothy Schofield – who left court earlier in the trial – was convicted of all charges
A photo of the Schofield brothers enjoying a day out with their mother
Sentencing was postponed while a file is being put together on Schofield’s mental health. During the trial, he was repeatedly accused by prosecutors of “playing the victim.”
At one point last week, he failed to appear in court because he collapsed “into a crisis.”
Schofield will be sentenced on May 19 at Bristol Crown Court.
Avon and Somerset Police, where Schofield was employed, said a misconduct hearing will be held “as soon as possible”. The IT worker was suspended in December 2021.
Detective Keith Smith said: ‘This defendant exploited and abused the victim by committing a sickening series of crimes over a considerable period of time.
“While the defendant does not work in a public capacity and the crimes are not related to his work, we know that the fact that he works for the police will be a matter of public interest.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said: ‘Child sexual abuse can have devastating and long-lasting effects on a person’s life and Timothy Schofield’s actions were deeply damaging. We hope the young man he targeted gets all the support he needs to get on with his life.”
The NSPCC urges adults with concerns about a child to contact [email protected] and young people to call Childline on 0800 1111.
Schofield (seen left with his head covered next to another man) was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three counts of sexual activity in front of a child, three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activities. sexual activity, and two of sexual activity with a child