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Phillip Schofield has said "I no longer have a brother" after his sibling Timothy Schofield was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three year period.
Timothy Schofield, 54, was charged with 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019.
A 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.
Schofield, a civilian police worker from Bath, told the jury he had watched pornography with the boy, who he insisted was aged over 16 at that time, and they had masturbated while sat apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.
He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.
In a statement released by his lawyer after Timothy was found guilty, TV 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."
Another statement from Phillip was previously read to the court in which he said Timothy told him on one occasion he had watched pornography and masturbated with the alleged victim.
The defendant admitted to watching pornography with the boy, who he claimed was aged over 16 at that time, and they had masturbated while sat apart.
However, he denied performing sex acts on the teenager, replying: "Absolutely not," when asked if he did so by his barrister Peter Binder.
The alleged victim previously told the court the defendant had used a projector to play adult pornography on the wall while he abused him.
He added: "It was never something I enjoyed, never something that was good."
On Friday (March 31), the jury heard closing speeches from the barrister representing the Crown and Schofield’s lawyer.
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “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.”
The NSPCC urged adults who are concerned about a child to contact he[email protected] and young people to call Childline on 0800 1111.
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- Phillip Schofield
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