Phillip Schofield has been away from This Morning throughout his brother Timothy’s trial, which concluded on Monday, April 3rd, with Timothy being convicted guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years. The victim was a teenager.
The host did not appear on the midday show for the first time until the 27th of March. ITV has made it clear that Phillip will not be back on screen until after the Easter weekend.
On Monday, his older brother Timothy, who is now 54 years old, was charged with 11 counts of sexual misconduct with a child that allegedly occurred between October 2016 and October 2019.
After deliberating for more than five and a half hours, the jury at Exeter Crown Court found him guilty on all counts by a majority vote of 10-2.
Phillip expressed his satisfaction with the findings of guilty and went on to say, “As far as I’m concerned, I no longer have a brother.” You can read his complete message by clicking here.
While Phillip’s brother Timothy was in court last week, Willoughby was joined by substitutes Alison Hammond and Joel Dommett in his role as presenter on This Morning.
During the time that they are away for the Easter holiday, Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, who regularly host the show on Fridays, will be in charge of presenting it instead.
Timothy, a civilian police worker from Bath, vehemently contested the claims while the case was being heard. He was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, and three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
Timothy admitted to the jury that he and the child had masturbated while sitting apart and that they had watched pornography together, but he argued that the youngster was older than 16 at the time. He also denied having any sexual contact with the adolescent.
In September of 2021, it is reported that Timothy told his TV star brother about some of the alleged wrongdoings that he had committed. Phillip provided the court with a written statement in which he stated that his brother had called him while he was in an anxious and angry state and that he had invited him to drive to his home in London. Phillip said that he had told the court that his brother had phoned him.
Phillip stated that they talked for a considerable amount of time, during which they also consumed a dinner at his house. Phillip remarked, “Tim was standing behind me as I was washing up, and he said, ‘You are going to hate me for what I am about to say,'” Tim added. “You are going to hate me for what I am about to say.” I stated that there was nothing he could say to me that would cause me to despise him. Then he went on to say that he and the boy had spent some time together, and that the previous year the two of them had “watched porn… and [masturbated]”.
I reacted by turning around and asking, “What did you just say?” He mentioned that it was the previous year and that we were together in private,” the author stated. “Tim said that it was only for this one time. I cautioned him that this must never take place again. After that, he began to inform me about [the boy’s] physical make-up.
“I yelled, ‘F***, stop.’ I yelled at Tim, telling him that he had to put an end to it. I had little interest in learning any of the specifics, but he made it appear as though it was an isolated incident. I told her, “Please stop telling me things. I don’t want to hear them.” I admonished her, telling her, “You have to stop, simply never do that again.” It doesn’t matter how it took place; whatever transpired can never take place again.
“Tim would insist that it was just “boy time,” but we knew otherwise. I responded by asking, “What the hell is boy time?”
Timothy has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on 19 May.
You can get in touch with experienced counsellors at the NSPCC for assistance, guidance, and support if you are concerned about a child, even if you aren’t entirely clear what your concerns are. You can do this by sending an email to [email protected] or by dialling 0808 800 5000. Childline is a service that provides free and confidential guidance and support to people younger than 18 years old. This service is available whenever and however assistance is required. Dial 0800 1111 or visit the Childline website.