Met Police lost its own letter to Meghan Markle about father's abuse allegations
The Met had to ask Meghan Markle for a copy of a letter it had sent her after misplacing the original, as a Philippine investigation into Thomas Markle continues.
Scotland Yard asked Duchess of Sussex for copy of lost abuse tip-off letter
The Metropolitan Police lost its own copy of a letter it had sent to Meghan Markle notifying her of serious sexual abuse allegations against her father, Thomas Markle Sr, and was subsequently forced to ask the Duchess of Sussex to supply a replacement, The Independent has reported.
Police first received a tip about alleged offending by Thomas Markle Sr outside the UK in January 2019. The letter was passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the Met's Protection Command. The force later found it could not locate its own copy of that correspondence.
Meghan had retained her copy and provided it to police when asked, according to reports.
The disclosure comes after allegations surfaced that child sexual abuse material was discovered at Mr Markle's former home in the Philippines. The Times first reported that the Met had not only failed to act on the original tip-off, but had also been unable to locate the letter it had sent to the duchess.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "Following a thorough review of Met Police systems and records, we have confirmed that in January 2019, we received a letter containing a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. It was sent to the MPS Protection Command to raise concerns in relation to the security of the Duchess of Sussex."
The force added: "The letter was reviewed and a decision was made that it should be passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their awareness. The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies."
Scotland Yard said it is now "reviewing its handling" of the matter and "considering whether a referral to the IOPC is necessary to review our approach," referring to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog.
Meghan is "upset and really frustrated" by the Met's handling of the investigation, The Telegraph reported.
Philippine investigation under way
Authorities in the Philippines are currently investigating whether Mr Markle kept a collection of child sexual abuse images at his former home there. Mr Markle Sr has denied the allegations, calling them a "bunch of lies."
Nicholas Ty, undersecretary for the Philippines Department of Justice, confirmed on Saturday that an investigation was under way in the country.
It was Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, who first alerted authorities to the images, which he said he discovered while visiting the house earlier this year. He is said to have reported his findings to the FBI Hotline, to state police in Pennsylvania, and to the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children in July.
Mr Markle Sr was forced to return to the United States after suffering a stroke and a blood clot, which resulted in the amputation of his left leg. He is reportedly now living in a rehabilitation centre in Florida, where he is learning to walk again.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said Meghan "reached out" to her father following his operation, and had previously attempted to make contact with him on other occasions.
Estrangement and denial
The relationship between Meghan and her father broke down after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days before her wedding to Prince Harry. The two have remained largely estranged since.
In a statement, Mr Markle Sr said: "I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of."
He added: "This is bulls***. It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."
The Metropolitan Police has been approached for further comment.
Source: The Independent