Thomas Markle Sr, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, remains in custody in Florida after allegedly removing his electronic ankle monitoring bracelet. He was arrested and charged last week with one count of possessing child pornography.
Markle was released on bail by a judge on Friday, November 6, with conditions including house arrest and wearing a location monitoring bracelet. Travel restrictions were also imposed by the court in Tampa, Florida. He is now back in custody after allegedly cutting off the device.
BBC Breakfast Report Details the Arrest
BBC Breakfast's North American correspondent, Shaimaa Khalil, reported on the situation, saying: "Justice officials here in Los Angeles have told us that Thomas Markle had removed his ankle monitor in the early hours of Tuesday morning around 1.45am. He then appeared before a magistrate judge who ordered him to remain in custody without bail."
Khalil added: "Now, he has been on house arrest since his court appearance on Friday and one of the conditions of this house arrest was to wear an ankle monitor."
Charges and FBI Investigation
Markle faces one charge of possessing images of child sexual abuse, which he denies. He was first arrested on Friday from a senior care home in Lakeland, Florida. The charge follows FBI searches of storage units in the Los Angeles area that were rented by Markle.
The FBI says agents found about 78 items, including film negatives, slides and books, and alleged that the material included images of child sexual abuse. Prosecutors also say witnesses identified Thomas Markle in two of those images.
Psychiatric Assessment Ordered
Khalil concluded: "A judge has ordered a psychiatric assessment to measure or determine whether Thomas Markle is fit to stand trial. As it stands, he is back in custody in Florida."
Other photographs allegedly show Markle with children in various stages of undress. If convicted, Markle would face at least 20 years in federal prison. Markle Sr, who was living in a dementia care home in the US, has admitted paying for sex in the Philippines but has denied ever possessing child abuse imagery.
