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The brother of Phillip Schofield has been sacked from his police job following his conviction for child sex offences.

Timothy Schofield was charged with 11 sexual offences, including two of sexual activity with a child, between October 2016 and October 2019.

Jurors at Exeter Crown Court found the 54-year-old guilty of all counts after more than five-and-a-half hours of deliberations earlier this month.

Schofield, from Bath, had worked for Avon and Somerset Police as an IT worker and has now been dismissed by the force.

He was suspended from his job at police HQ in Portishead after he was arrested and charged.

Civilian police worker Timothy Schofield, the brother of TV presenter Phillip Schofield, covers his head as he leaves Exeter Crown Court where he is on trial accused of sexual abuse of a teenager. Schofield, 54, is accused of 11 charges of interfering with a child which started when the victim was just a teenager. Picture date: Thursday March 30, 2023.
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Timothy Schofield covers his head as he leaves Exeter Crown Court

Assistant Chief Constable Will White chaired a misconduct hearing following Schofield’s conviction, and he was dismissed without notice.

Outlining the findings of the panel, Mr White said: “Timothy Schofield committed a series of manipulative and exploitative offences against someone in a position of vulnerability.

“The details and impact of his criminality were distressing to read for the panel, as they would be for members of the public.

“The panel is grateful for the courage shown by the victim and all those who provided information and evidence to the investigation team, which resulted in him being brought to justice for these abhorrent crimes.”

He added: “Timothy Schofield’s position as a member of a police organisation makes his responsibility all the greater in terms of his offending behaviour. The harm he’s caused has been serious and extensive.

“His criminal conviction undermines the public’s trust and confidence in the police service and its employees who work tirelessly to build that trust, particularly at this time of national scrutiny.”

Schofield, who will be sentenced in May, denied performing sex acts on the teenager, but told the jury he watched porn with the boy and they had masturbated while sitting apart.

He insisted the boy was over 16 at the time but admitted searching for terms on a legal pornography website including “young boy teen sex” and “gay teen torrents”.

Read more:
Phillip Schofield thanks fans as he returns to This Morning
Phillip Schofield says ‘I no longer have a brother’

He told the court he believed this would return results showing men aged between 18 and their early 20s.

Jurors had previously heard how he told his elder brother Phillip in September 2021 that he and the complainant had watched pornography together.

Following the verdicts, Phillip Schofield branded his brother’s crimes “despicable” and said: “As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.”

“My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family,” the TV star said.

“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.”

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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