Thomas Markle Sr arrested on child sexual abuse material charges in Florida
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, called for justice after her estranged father Thomas Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.
Thomas Markle Sr charged with possessing child abuse images after FBI raid
Federal agents have arrested Thomas Markle Sr — the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — and charged him with possessing child sexual abuse material, smh.com.au reports. Markle, 82, was taken into custody in Florida on Friday morning and appeared in a Tampa courtroom the same day. A conviction could carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
A criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleges Markle possessed "sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades." The units, registered in Markle's name since 2008, were raided by the FBI after the bureau received reports from multiple witnesses last month.
One witness, understood to be Markle's son Thomas Markle Jr, told the FBI he had discovered suspected child sexual abuse material among his father's belongings in the Philippines, where Thomas Markle Sr had been living. A second witness informed the bureau about the California storage units.
Officers seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books. Some negatives were converted into colour digital photographs, which were found to contain suspected child sexual abuse material. "To date, I have identified approximately 18 images that appeared to constitute child pornography," the FBI special agent stated in a court affidavit. "The investigation is active and ongoing."
Bill Essayli, assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, said three of the images described in the affidavit featured Markle alongside minor victims. "These allegations are serious and disturbing," Essayli said. "We intend to prosecute Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."
British tabloid The Sun reported last month that Thomas Markle Jr had already contacted authorities in the Philippines, reporting that his father allegedly possessed "hundreds, if not thousands" of underage sexual images stored in four large boxes at his home in Cebu. Markle Jr told The Sun he had subsequently contacted the FBI. "I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now," he said. "I won't speak to my father ever again unless I'm called to give evidence against him."
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 London police in 2018, and said she had since received assurances those allegations were investigated at the time.
"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 said, calling for a full investigation into the matter and for justice for the alleged victims.
Thomas Markle Sr, a retired television lighting and photography director, did not attend Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018, triggering widespread media coverage of the family estrangement. Meghan, an American citizen who appeared in the US drama Suits, and Harry have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Earlier this year, Thomas Markle Sr suffered a stroke while living in the Philippines and had his left leg amputated, which prompted his return to the United States. Harry, Meghan, and their children themselves returned to the United Kingdom in August after six years in California; they are private citizens and do not carry out official duties on behalf of the British Crown.
Source: The Sun