Meghan’s father released under home detention after US child abuse material charge

The 82-year-old was arrested on Friday at a care facility in Florida and appeared later that day before a federal court in Tampa. He was released back to the facility under electronic monitoring, the Associated Press reported. Sky News said he was also subject to home detention.

Markle did not enter a plea at the hearing, according to Sky. Judge Lindsay Griffin ordered a psychiatric examination, saying he might be unable to understand the proceedings or properly assist his lawyer, AP reported.

The US Justice Department said the FBI seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, from two storage units registered to Markle in the Los Angeles area. Some contained suspected child sexual abuse material, authorities said.

In an affidavit accompanying the complaint, an FBI agent said a witness who had known Markle since the 1970s identified him as the adult man in two images involving a young girl. The agent said the review of the seized material was ongoing. The complaint contains allegations; it is not a finding of guilt.

Before the US charge, Markle denied his son’s allegations that child sexual abuse images had been found at his former home in the Philippines. AP said his court-appointed lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the arrest.

The US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said further hearings would eventually move to California but were unlikely to take place for several weeks, AP reported. The Justice Department said Markle faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.