A criminal case involving the family of the Duchess of Sussex moved swiftly into the spotlight in the United States on Thursday, as her father appeared in court after an FBI arrest over alleged child abuse material — including images said to show him with young girls.
Thomas Markle Senior is charged with one count of possession of child pornography.
He was brought to court in Tampa, Florida.
Investigators say the material at the heart of the case was recovered from two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades.
The arrest follows a report made last month to police in the Philippines and to the FBI by his son, Thomas Markle Junior, who allegedly discovered illegal images among his father’s belongings in Cebu City.
Thomas Markle Snr was taken into custody by FBI agents yesterday.
Agents, acting on warrants, searched two storage units in LA registered to him. Authorities said he had rented them since 2008 and that his most recent payments on both units were made last month via auto-pay.
Inside, they seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sex abuse material.
According to allegations outlined in the case, two of the images depict an adult man — identified by a witness as Thomas Markle Snr — with a nude young girl.
A third image is said to show a nude young girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines.
Other photographs allegedly show him with children in various stages of undress.
A storage facility in Mexico where authorities seized belongings of Thomas Markle Snr
Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said: “This case highlights the importance of the involvement of the public, even if it’s a family member or close friend, to be vigilant and speak up if they have information on individuals they suspect may be preying on and exploiting our children.”
Thomas Markle Snr, who was living in a dementia care home in the US, has admitted to paying for sex in the Philippines but has denied possessing child abuse imagery.
His daughter, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, moved from the US back to the UK with her husband, Prince Harry, in August.
She said that she was “deeply distressed” at the allegations about her father, from whom she has been estranged since the run-up to their 2018 wedding.
Meghan Markle said she was given assurances the claims were being investigated (file pic)
She revealed that she was sent a letter, via London’s Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection, in 2019 which made “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father, but that she was given assurances these were being investigated.
The Met Police has admitted that it never shared the details with other law enforcement agencies or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating the force’s conduct.
Sources said the duchess had wanted to “speak out” immediately after reading the letter, but police advised her against it.
Thomas Markle Snr, a former TV lighting director, had his leg amputated in the Philippines last year and appealed publicly for his daughter to contact him.
She is said to have sent a final letter telling him she knew he was an abuser and that he would never see his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
If convicted, Thomas Markle Snr would face at least 20 years in prison.
Additional reporting PA
