Thomas Markle Jnr, the half-brother of the Duchess of Sussex, has spoken out about his father's arrest on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, describing him as a "monster" after seeing his prison mugshot. The material allegedly includes images showing Thomas Markle Snr naked with young girls.
Markle Snr, 82, was arrested by FBI agents after they seized a haul of material from two Los Angeles storage units he rented for nearly two decades. He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and was subject to home detention and electronic tagging following his release on bail after his court appearance on Friday.
Father back in custody after cutting off tag
However, the 82-year-old is now in a prison facility after apparently cutting off the electronic tag. It is understood he is being kept separate from other prisoners. His jail photo was released by the Pinellas County sheriff's office following his re-arrest on Tuesday night, just days after he was charged.
Thomas Markle Jnr, 60, said he believed his "monster" of a father deliberately tore off the device so he could get free medical care behind bars, according to reports from The Sun. He declared "he looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining" as the mugshot emerged, showing him scowling down the camera in a bright orange prison uniform.
Judge orders detention until trial
Thomas Jnr recalled the 1980 horror film famous for its terrifying 'Here's Johnny' line, telling The Sun: "I couldn't believe that mugshot - my dad looks just as angry and crazy as Jack Nicholson in The Shining."
According to first assistant US attorney Bill Essayli, Markle Snr appeared in federal court in Tampa, Florida, after authorities learned he had cut off the tag at 1.45am (6.45am UK time). US magistrate judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin ordered Markle to stay in custody until the end of his trial, having "violated the conditions of his pretrial release". She said he should be detained separately, as far as possible, from the general prison population. The judge added his dementia care home stay had "become untenable" and that he had surrendered his US passport and Philippines visa.
Family reaction and background
Thomas Jnr said yesterday: "I'm not surprised he's being accused of removing the tag because he probably realised there's no one to take care of him if he stayed at home. My sister Samantha was his carer but is now in a wheelchair and he wouldn't be able to cope on his own."
Markle Snr came under investigation after he was reported to police in the Philippines and the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr, who allegedly found illegal images in his father's belongings in Cebu City. The pair moved to the Philippines in January last year but Markle Snr returned to the States for treatment after a blood clot forced medics to amputate his left leg. Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" at the allegations surrounding her father, from whom she has been estranged since the run-up to her 2018 wedding.
