Meghan’s father appears in US court on child sexual abuse images charge

Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida on Friday and appeared before a federal magistrate in Tampa. A judge ordered him released to await trial under home detention and electronic monitoring, ABC News Australia reported, citing the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. No plea was entered.

The US Justice Department alleges that Markle kept child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented since 2008. FBI agents seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, some of which contained suspected abuse material, according to the department.

An FBI affidavit filed with the criminal complaint says a witness identified Markle as the man in two images recovered from one of the units. The complaint contains allegations, not findings of guilt.

In October, Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, said he had found child sexual abuse images among his father’s belongings in the Philippines. Markle denied those earlier allegations, calling them “sick lies”. Philippine police subsequently obtained a warrant to examine devices from his former home.