Thomas Markle appears in court over child abuse material charges

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex, appeared in court on Friday charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children, BBC News reported, citing the US Department of Justice. As FTMQ News reported earlier, federal agents took Markle into custody near Tampa, Florida, on Friday morning following an investigation into child sexual abuse material. [1][6]

BBC News reported that Markle was arrested after the FBI searched two storage units in Los Angeles that he had rented for almost 20 years. He has previously denied allegations of possessing images of child sex abuse. The Duchess of Sussex has not commented on the arrest. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the federal investigation began after Thomas Markle Jr reported finding images at his father's former house in the Philippines. The Duchess of Sussex previously severed contact with her father following child abuse claims. [6]

In a related background development, FTMQ News reported earlier that the UK Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating how the Metropolitan Police handled a 2019 letter about Thomas Markle written by his former wife, Roslyn Loveless. Thomas Markle has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing, calling them sick lies. [7]