The brother of the television presenter Phillip Schofield has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of sexually abusing a vulnerable teenage boy over a three-year period.
Timothy Schofield, 54, who was a civilian police worker with the Avon and Somerset force at the time of the abuse, was found guilty of 11 sexual offences involving a child.
In his victim personal statement, the complainant said he had felt trapped by Schofield and the “ripples” of his offences continued to caused deep hurt.
He said: “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.”
But he said there had been little respite: “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. I feel like I’m watching everything crumble before me … I’ve had to fake everything for so long.”
Sentencing him at Bristol crown court, Mrs Justice Cutts told Schofield: “You exploited his innocence for your own sexual gratification.” She said the complainant thought he had to do what Schofield wanted because he was worried about his temper.
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. You became utterly obsessed with him.
“Your actions have had a devastating impact. You thought only of yourself. I have not heard a word of genuine remorse, only self-pity.”
Grey-haired and bearded, Schofield shook his head and appeared tearful during the judge’s sentencing remarks.
Schofield was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three of causing a child to watch sexual activity and three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
The offences took place between October 2016 and October 2019. The court was told that some of the pornography was “extreme” and involved violence.
Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said aggravating factors included a “significant degree of planning” and the fact that he gave the complainant alcohol to make him more “malleable”.
Peter Binder, defending, said Schofield had no previous convictions and described his client as “socially isolated” and “deeply troubled”. “To his eternal shame he lost semblance of a moral compass,” the barrister said.
A jury at Exeter crown court was told the offences emerged after the complainant was persuaded to see two counsellors and revealed what had happened. The police were alerted and Schofield was arrested within 48 hours at his home in Bath.
Schofield was based at Avon and Somerset police headquarters and was suspended from duty in December 2021 when the allegations were first made. Following his convictions, a misconduct hearing took place and he was dismissed without notice.
In a statement issued after the verdicts last month, Phillip Schofield said he was disowning his brother. “These are despicable crimes,” he said. “As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”
He added: “If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.”
Det Insp Keith Smith of Avon and Somerset police said the offences committed by Schofield were not connected to his employment with the police as an IT worker but the fact he was a member of staff will be “of great concern” to the public.
He said: “We want to be absolutely clear, we’re on a mission to root out all those who betray the standards and values we’re committed to uphold. The public must be able to trust police officers and staff, and protecting this bond of trust is our priority.”
A spokesperson for the UK children’s charity NSPCC said: “The victim in this case has shown real courage in coming forward to report what happened and giving evidence in court, and we hope he is receiving all the support he needs to help him move on with his life.”
