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‘I no longer have a brother’ – Phillip Schofield speaks out after sibling found guilty of sexual abuse

Timothy Schofield was charged with 11 sexual offences involving a child.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 4th April 2023

Phillip Schofield has released a public statement after his brother was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a three-year period.

The TV presenter – who viewers will know has been absent from his regular gig on ITV‘s breakfast show This Morning over the last couple of weeks – has spoken out after his brother, Timothy Schofield, was charged with 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019 following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Timothy Schofield denied the charges against him, but after nearly six hours of deliberating, jurors returned majority verdicts yesterday (Monday 3 April) and found him guilty of all counts.

The 54-year-old was charged with 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.

Philip Schofield has branded his brother’s actions as “despicable crimes”.

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Phillip and his brother Timothy Schofield / Credit: Phillip Schofield (via Instagram)

Breaking his silence, and taking to his Instagram Stories to address the trial and speak out after the verdict, Phillip claimed “I no longer have a brother”.

His statement reads in full: “My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family, and I hope that their privacy will now be respected.

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“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”.

The TV presenter has spoken out after his brother was found guilty of sexual abuse / Credit: ITV & Phillip Schofield (via Instagram)

As mentioned, former civilian police worker, Timothy, denied all charges against him and most-notably denied performing sex acts on the teenager – who who alleged the offending started when he was 13 – however he did tell the jury that he watched porn with the boy and they had masturbated while sitting apart.

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Despite what the teenager was alleging, Timothy insisted the boy was over 16 at the time.

He did, however, admit searching for terms on a legal pornography website including “young boy teen sex” and “gay teen torrents”, telling the court he believed this would return results showing men aged between 18 and their early 20s.

Timothy testified that he told his brother Phillip that he and the complainant had watched pornography together in September 2021, but the TV presenter claimed in a written statement provided to the trial that Timothy “made it sound like a one-off”.

Phillip claims that he had told his brother that “it must never happen again”, Sky News reports.

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Timothy Schofield has now been remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court – which is due to take place on 19 May.

Featured Image – Avon and Somerset Police

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Oldham Council is asking local kids to name its six new gritters

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Oldham Council has announced the news that a handful of its hardest-working salt spreaders are retiring this year.

After gritting more than a million miles between them over several years of “super service”, it’s now the end of the icy road for six of Oldham‘s famously-named gritting fleet, and a new wintery journey is gearing up to begin for the town’s replacements machines.

But, you know that that means – the the popular ‘name a gritter’ competition is back once again.

With the nights drawing in, and the weather getting colder and colder by the day, it won’t be long before local residents will be able to see the big yellow machines traveling around the borough spreading grit and salt.

Fan-favourites Winston Chur-chill and Nicole Saltslinger will be making welcome returns this year, but they’ll also be joined by six newbies, and it’s our job to name them equally-iconic names.

Oldham Council‘s ‘name a gritter’ competition is now open, and it’s hoped that primary and junior-age children in the town will, once again, come through with “an avalanche of entries” like they have done in the past.

Brad Grit, Gritiana Grande, Snowbee One Kenobi, Nick Gritshaw, Leonardo de-ice-io, and Basil Salty are just some of the names of the gritters who’ve spread Oldham’s salt in previous years, so they should be able to serve as inspiration for what the Council’s looking for.

The winning names from this year’s competition will be added to the front of the six new cabs.

“Oldham Council was one of the first local authorities in the country to name its gritting fleet, and since then many others have followed our lead,” Councillor Chris Goodwin, who is Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said as the competition opens.

“In the past, we’ve always run the competition as a bit of fun and it’s really captured the imagination of our young people, so please urge your children to get their thinking caps on and send in some names.”

/ Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Unfortunately, Cllr Goodwin did stress that this year’s competition is only open to all children aged four to 11 who live in Oldham or attend one of the boroughs primary or junior schools, and that any “40-odd-year-old ‘comic’s who are thinking of sending in unfunny names” should thinking again, because they’ve “heard it all before”.

As social media suggestions “will not be accepted”, parents, guardians, and carers will need to help their little Oldhamers get their entries in on the Oldham Council website here, and you’ll need to make sure the child’s details are included, plus how the Council can contact you.

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The closing date for entries is 11:59pm on Friday 3 November.

All naming suggestions will then be put to a panel of councillors and council officers to have the final say, and the lucky winners will be invited down to the town’s Moorhey Street depot to have their photo taken with the gritter they’ve named.

Featured Image – Oldham Council

News

Four jailed for over 70 years for ‘daylight murder’ of Withington teen Kyle Hackland

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Four teenagers have been collectively sentenced to more than 70 years for the murder of another teenager in Withington last year.

Kyle Hackland, who was just 17 at the time, was brutally stabbed in broad daylight in Withington at around midday back on Tuesday 22 November 2022, and went on to sadly pass away in hospital as a result of his injuries – which were described as “catastrophic”.

He was described as “kind and well-mannered young boy who never failed to say “love you” as he walked out the door” in a tribute paid by his loving family at the time.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched a murder investigation shortly after.

Detective Superintendent Neil Jones, of GMP South Manchester Division, said at the time that the force understood the incident would “cause distress and concern to the community and across Manchester”, but assured the public it was an isolated incident and there was no wider threat.

Several men were subsequently charged in connection with the incident nearly two weeks later on 7 December, and were remanded in custody while awaiting trial.

And now, after the trial at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court has finally concluded yesterday (Tuesday 3 October), and accumulative sentences of more than 70 years were handed out, all four men have been publicly named.

They have been named as Yousef Sesay (24/11/2004), Lewis Ludford (05/12/2004), Tafari Kosey-Smith (26/06/2006), and Alfie Benson (30/03/2006).

Sesay was sentenced to 22 years, Ludford for 21 years (with two years concurrent for a bladed article), and Kosey-Smith for 19 years (with two years concurrent for a bladed article), after all were found guilty of murder.

Benson has been jailed for 12 years (with two years concurrent for burglary offences) after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Kyle lost his life in what the court heard this week was “a pre-mediated revenge attack”, and was “brutally attacked with knives” by the four teenagers during the “violent assault” in broad daylight.

Yousef Sesay
Lewis Ludford
Alfie Benson
Tafari Kosey-Smith
Four jailed for over 70 years for ‘daylight murder’ of Withington teen Kyle Hackland / Credit: GMP

“This is another heartbreaking example of how carrying a knife can have devastating consequences in a matter of seconds,” said Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector David Moores, after the trial concluded yesterday.

“Our thoughts as a force are once again with Kyle’s loved ones, who will have to continue to live with the pain, but hopefully this can be eased in some way with the conviction of his killers.

“Officers in our Major Incident Team have worked tirelessly to bring justice, and, in our role, we are reminding any young person willing to carry a knife to put it down and think twice before doing so.

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“It is not worth it and can ultimately cost yours and other people’s lives.”

Featured Image – GMP

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