Thomas Markle Sr. jailed after cutting off ankle monitor amid child abuse material charges
Thomas Markle Sr., 82, was ordered detained after allegedly removing his court-ordered ankle monitor while on home confinement. He faces charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Meghan's father remanded in custody after removing electronic monitoring device
Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has been ordered detained pending trial after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor while under home confinement, abcnews.com reports.
Magistrate Judge Lindsey Griffin revoked Markle's conditions of release on Tuesday, citing a violation of pretrial conditions following his arrest last week on one count of possession of child pornography. Markle, 82, was originally arrested on 6 November in Florida.
"At the conclusion of that hearing, I found that the defendant violated the conditions of his pretrial release and that, based on the lack of suitable housing, no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community and the defendant's appearance in court," Griffin wrote in court documents.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said Markle — who lives near Tampa — allegedly removed his court-ordered location monitoring device overnight on Tuesday.
Stored material linked to Los Angeles storage units
The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Markle kept suspected child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented for nearly two decades. A lawyer for Markle had not responded to a request for comment from abcnews.com at the time of publication.
Judge Griffin also ordered an independent doctor to conduct a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether Markle is competent to stand trial, according to court documents filed late last week.
"Based on the information provided about the defendant's health condition, as well as the defendant's advanced age and lack of recall, I find reasonable cause to believe that the defendant may presently suffer from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense," Griffin wrote.
The evaluating doctor is required to submit a report by 20 November. If convicted, Markle faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Background: Philippines investigation and family estrangement
Markle had been living in the Philippines since early 2025 before relocating to Florida. During Meghan's childhood, he resided in Los Angeles, where he worked as a lighting director. He and Meghan have been estranged since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Before his arrest, The Sun published a report indicating that Philippine authorities were investigating Markle for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material following claims made by his son — Meghan's half-brother. The Philippine Department of Justice subsequently confirmed to abcnews.com that the matter is under investigation by an anti-trafficking task force in Cebu.
Markle denied the allegations in an interview with The Daily Mail published on 23 October, calling them "sick lies" and "the worst thing anyone could accuse me of."
"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," he told the outlet.
Meghan has not commented publicly on her father's arrest. Following The Sun's initial report, however, she issued a statement saying she was "deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours," adding that her "thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed."
Source: Google News MT