Thomas Markle Jr, the half-brother of Meghan Markle, has spoken out after his father's arrest on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, including images allegedly showing him with naked young girls. The 60-year-old said he was appalled by his father's first mugshot from a prison facility where he now remains after allegedly cutting off his electronic monitoring tag, just days after being released on bail.
Markle Jr declared "he looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining" as the mugshot of the Duchess of Sussex's father emerged, showing him scowling down the camera in a bright orange prison uniform.
Father's alleged actions
Markle Jr 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. Meghan's estranged 82-year-old dad was taken back into custody in the US after allegedly breaching the conditions of his pre-trial release, accused of cutting off the electronic ankle gadget monitoring his movements while under house arrest.
He has now been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material. 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.
Court proceedings
Markle Jr 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.
Background and family reaction
The judge added his dementia care home stay had "become untenable" and that he had surrendered his US passport and Philippines visa. 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.
Markle Jr 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 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 is subject to home detention and electronic tagging following his release on bail after his court appearance on Friday. He 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. 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.
