Meghan Markle’s father ordered to jail after he cut off his ankle monitor

Meghan Markle’s father was ordered to jail Tuesday because he removed an electronic monitoring device from his ankle, days after he was arrested by federal agents in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material.

Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested and appeared in federal court in Tampa, Florida, after authorities learned he had cut off the device at 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told The Associated Press.

“Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions,” Essayli added.

2:03 Prince Harry, Meghan Markle make first public appearance after Markle’s father arrested

Markle Sr. was living in a senior care centre at the time. But U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin agreed Tuesday that Markle now must be kept in custody.

Story continues below advertisement

Authorities have not said where he will be held while his case remains in court ahead of a likely transfer to California.

In her written order, Griffin noted Markle Sr.’s “housing situation” had become “untenable,” but did not elaborate, according to The Associated Press.

Defence attorney Mary Claire Wolf wanted to keep him out of custody but has not found a suitable place for Markle to stay, according to a hearing summary.

Markle Sr. was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, according to the FBI.

Markle Sr. is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and made his initial appearance last week in United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.

Get breaking National news

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story.

“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said Essayli. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”

“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,” said Patrick Grandy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Story continues below advertisement

FBI special agents searched two storage units registered to Markle Sr., who has rented the units in Los Angeles since 2008, with his most recent payments on both made last month by auto-pay, according to the FBI.

Inside the units, agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse material.

If convicted, Markle Sr. would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the FBI.

1:28 Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle arrested by FBI in Florida

Markle Sr.’s arrest came after The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, reported that Meghan’s half-brother allegedly found images while cleaning out the home of their father in the Philippines.

Meghan’s father denied the allegations against him in a statement to the Daily Mail, saying, “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me.”

Story continues below advertisement

“I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” he added.

The Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her estranged father’s former home.

“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” Meghan said in a statement to The Associated Press.

She also addressed a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police Service’s Royal and Specialist Protection unit.

“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” she continued.

Meghan went on to say that she has not had a relationship with her father to protect her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.

“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. “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”

Story continues below advertisement

“Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children,” her statement concluded.

6:02 Meghan Markle reaches out to estranged father after emergency leg amputation

Thomas Markle Sr., 82, was living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated. That forced him to return to the U.S., The Associated Press reports.

The Sun alleged that Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., had recently found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images in boxes at his father’s home in the Philippine city of Cebu when he was clearing out the property.

He told the newspaper that he reported the alleged images to police in the Philippines.

Story continues below advertisement

Markle Jr., 60, told the outlet that he contacted FBI investigators in the U.S. who are reportedly set to launch their own probe.

“The FBI is aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law,” an FBI spokesperson told Global News in October.