Tim Schofield has not been stabbed in prison

Hundreds of people have shared a Facebook post that claims Tim Schofield, the brother of television presenter Phillip Schofield, has been stabbed in prison and is fighting for his life. But this is not true. 

The post has been shared over 700 times since it was published on 21 May. It says that Schofield “was stabbed over 10 times in jail this morning in the exercise yard. The air ambulance had to be flown into the jail. Schofield has been rushed to an outside hospital. He is currently fighting for his life in intensive care [sic]”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed to Full Fact that the claim is not true. 

Timothy Schofield, 54, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday 19 May after being found guilty in April of sexually abusing a boy. 

Alongside the text, the post shows Schofield’s prison ID photo for HMP Bristol where he was reportedly held before sentencing and which was published originally by The Sun. The post also shows a photo of him with his brother Phillip Schofield who recently announced he would be stepping down as a presenter of ITV’s This Morning. 

Full Fact has written about other false claims relating to high profile prisoners, including armed robber Charles Bronson, the police officer Wayne Couzens who murdered Sarah Everard, Soham murderer Ian Huntley and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ father and his partner. These types of claims can spread quickly online and become hard to contain, creating alarm, uncertainty and confusion among the public.

Image courtesy of JThomas