Thomas Markle, 82, cuts off ankle tag days after CSAM arrest in California
Thomas Markle, estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, removed his electronic ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m., days after his arrest over child sexual abuse material.
Thomas Markle removes ankle monitor hours after child abuse material charges
Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, cut off his electronic ankle monitoring device in the early hours of the morning, just days after being arrested over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, according to abc7ny.com.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed that Markle was removed from the ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. and was arrested shortly afterwards. He was placed in custody in Tampa, Florida, awaiting a hearing in federal court.
His original arrest last Friday followed the seizure of approximately 78 items — including slides, film negatives, and books — containing suspected child sexual abuse images from storage units in the Los Angeles area, which Markle had reportedly rented since 2008. Essayli said authorities took him from a senior care centre in Lakeland by ambulance.
A judge subsequently permitted Markle to be released on the condition that he wear an electronic monitoring device. The court also ordered a mental competency examination, with a report due by 20 November.
Markle's half-brother Thomas Markle Jnr, 60, reportedly said he was shocked by his father's first jail mugshot, describing him as looking "like Jack Nicholson in The Shining." He described their father's expression in the image as "crazed."
The investigation was initially triggered by reports in The Sun, a British tabloid, that Thomas Markle Jnr had discovered a collection of child sexual abuse images while clearing out their father's home in the Philippines. That discovery led investigators to the two California storage units.
Markle had been living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated, forcing his return to the United States.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations. She also revealed that a letter containing "troubling allegations" about her father had been sent to police in London in 2019.
"It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated," Meghan said in a statement. "I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications' distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them."
Meghan married Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018. The couple have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. She is an American citizen and actress, known for her role in the U.S. television drama Suits.
Source: The Sun