Thomas Markle Senior has denied accusations that he possessed thousands of indecent images of children, after his son reported him to police. The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father is believed to be at the centre of a police investigation following a report by Thomas Markle Junior.
The accusations, which Mr Markle vehemently denies, are that he had boxes of material containing indecent child sex images. These were reportedly found at a property in the Philippines where Thomas Markle lived last year before a health scare that led him to move back to the US.
How the material was reportedly found
The images and videos, found on hard drives, were discovered by Thomas Markle Junior, Meghan's stepbrother, while he was looking in his father's ex-wife's home in the Philippines for a phone for a family member. While hunting for this phone in July, Thomas Junior reportedly came across four large boxes containing devices with a lot of horrific content. This allegedly included sex images and videos of children.
After finding some of this concerning material, Thomas Junior claims he got a local technician to look at some other hard drives in these boxes, including devices and DVDs. Content was found on these, concerning girls of a range of ages from toddlers through to young women. This, according to The Sun's Nick Parker, who broke the story, was reportedly content that consisted of naked images and videos, alongside content of the young girls engaging in sexual acts.
Thomas Markle's denial
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Thomas Markle Senior said: "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. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bull****. It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."
Thomas Junior, who said the content made him "sick to the stomach", told The Sun: "When I found this material, I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad. I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now. I won't speak to my father ever again unless I'm called to give evidence against him." He also said he found "old books that turned out to be full of naked little girls".
Reports to authorities and FBI involvement
Thomas Junior, according to The Sun, told investigators about what he alleges he had found in July, and reported it to the FBI in the States. It took a long time for any response, but it is believed they are now set to launch their own investigation. On July 10, Thomas Junior also reported what he had found to the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children and the state police in Pennsylvania where his father was living. He also submitted a statement to child abuse police in the Philippines.
The Sun reports that investigators from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking on Thursday appointed a task force run by the specialist Women and Children's Protection Centre. The FBI also confirmed receipt of the contents of Thomas Junior's affidavit and is believed to be set to begin its investigation.
A source close to the case in Cebu said last night: "An FBI agent has already requested the contact details of investigators leading the case in the Philippines. Thomas Markle Snr is a US citizen; he is currently living in the US and may be linked to alleged offences committed on US soil. There is a strong precedent for cases in circumstances like this to be investigated by the FBI."
Meghan Markle 'deeply distressed'
Meghan Markle said she is "deeply distressed" by this recent news. She also said that allegations about her father were mentioned in a 2018 letter sent to Scotland Yard and subsequently shared with her by the police. She said she was told these allegations were under investigation, and that it is the main reason she has never allowed her father to have any contact with their children.
