Thomas Markle sent back to jail after cutting off ankle monitor during house detention

International

JUST days after being placed under house detention, Thomas Markle has been returned to federal custody in Florida.

Prosecutors alleged that the 82-year-old removed his court-ordered ankle monitor, prompting a judge to revoke his pretrial release.

Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Tampa on Tuesday and was denied bond. Prosecutors said he removed the electronic monitoring device earlier that morning.

US Magistrate Judge Lindsay S Griffin found that Markle had violated his release conditions, according to court documents.

Griffin described his housing situation as “untenable”, citing the lack of suitable accommodation and concerns over public safety and his appearance in court.

The judge also ordered Markle to undergo a medical evaluation and continue receiving all prescribed medication unless a physician directed otherwise.

Bill Essayli, the US attorney for Central California, said the court-imposed restrictions were mandatory and that prosecutors would pursue the case to the fullest extent of the law.

Markle was arrested last week following an FBI investigation into storage units in Los Angeles registered in his name. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), he had rented the units since 2008, with the latest payment made in October this year.

According to a BBC report, the FBI said agents seized about 78 items, including film negatives, slides and books allegedly containing child sexual abuse material.

Investigators also said witnesses “positively identified” Markle in two images believed to contain the material.

Court documents described the man in the images as appearing to be in his 30s or 40s, suggesting the alleged material could date back several decades.

Markle faces one count of possessing indecent images of children, according to the DoJ. He has denied the allegations, calling them “sick lies”. FBI director Kash Patel said Markle allegedly targeted children through criminal actions.

At his initial court appearance last week, no plea was entered. He was granted pretrial release under conditions that included home detention and electronic location monitoring. The BBC has contacted his representatives for comment.

Markle’s case comes amid his estrangement from Meghan, who has been out of contact with her father since 2018. She ended communication with him last year after telling him that she and the authorities knew he had abused young girls.

In a previously shared statement, Meghan expressed distress over the allegations, saying: “I am deeply distressed… my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.”

She also explained that she had largely cut ties with her father and did not allow him to have contact with her children.

Markle moved to the Philippines last year after suffering a series of strokes and lived in Cebu until May. He was reportedly undergoing rehabilitation in Florida following the amputation of his leg.(MyTVCebu)