Philippine police have found files containing child sex abuse material among possessions taken from the home of Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, an officer with the Philippine National Police has said.
Major General Wilson Asueta of the Philippine National Police (PNP) told a press conference that files consisting of CSEAM (Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act) material had been found. His comments were reported by local media and The Telegraph.
Police are understood to be combing through mobile phones, computer hard drives, digital storage cards and other possessions taken from Mr Markle's home in Cebu City last month. The Times reported that investigators had identified several files containing child sex abuse images and were working to determine who produced and owned the material, and whether Mr Markle appeared in the imagery. The Times said no formal complaint had been made against Mr Markle.
The investigation began last month after Thomas Markle Jnr allegedly discovered "hundreds" of child sex abuse images left behind at his father's home when he moved from the Philippines earlier this year. Police were granted a warrant last Thursday to examine the material, and Cebu regional prosecutor Graeme Elmido told the BBC that Mr Markle Jnr was "adamant" the case be investigated.
Mr Markle Jnr told The Sun he was "horrified" by what he found and had "no option" but to report his father, saying: "I won't speak to my father ever again unless I'm called to give evidence against him."
His father, who is 82 and had to return to the US after suffering a stroke and a blood clot that led to the amputation of his left leg, has strongly denied the accusations and called them a "bunch of lies". "I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of," he said.
A second stash of child sex abuse images was reportedly found in a storage unit Mr Markle is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
The Duchess of Sussex, who has been estranged from her father since 2018, said she is "deeply distressed" over the allegations. In a statement last month she said: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed." She said a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018 had made "troubling and disturbing allegations" against her father, and added: "Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
The Met Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of the allegations after admitting to passing a letter to the Sussexes without notifying other law enforcement agencies at the time. Mr Markle was reportedly moved to a specialist care home for dementia patients in Florida on Friday.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The investigation involves the father of a prominent public figure, Meghan Markle, and centres on allegations of the most serious kind of criminal material.
- The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over how it handled earlier allegations, raising questions about the original response.
- Philippine authorities are determining who produced and owned the material, with no formal complaint yet made against Mr Markle.
Background
Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle's father, has been estranged from his daughter since 2018. He is 82 and has suffered a stroke and a blood clot that led to the amputation of his left leg. He was recently moved to a specialist care home for dementia patients in Florida. The PNP began investigating after his son reported finding images at the home in the Philippines.
Key Perspectives
Major General Wilson Asueta (Philippine National Police): confirmed at a press conference that files consisting of CSEAM material had been found among the possessions taken from Mr Markle's home.
Thomas Markle Jr: said he was "horrified" by what he found, had "no option" but to report his father, and said he would not speak to him again unless called to give evidence against him. He was described by a regional prosecutor as "adamant" the case be investigated.
Thomas Markle: strongly denied the accusations, called them a "bunch of lies" and said: "I could never do what I'm being accused of."
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex: said she was "deeply distressed" and that her distance from her father had been to protect her children; she hoped justice would be served and the priority would be the safety of children.
What to Watch
- Whether Philippine authorities determine who produced and owned the material and whether Mr Markle appears in it.
- The outcome of the Metropolitan Police's referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of the earlier letter.
- Whether any formal complaint is made against Mr Markle in the Philippines.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedThe headline says Philippine police found child sex abuse images in the Thomas Markle investigation.The Independent UK: ““We were able to find that there are files consisting of several CSEAM [Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act] materials.””
- SupportedA Philippine National Police officer said files containing child sex abuse material were found among possessions taken from Thomas Markle’s home.The Independent UK: “Major General Wilson Asueta, of the Philippine National Police (PNP), told a press conference: “We were able to find that there are files consisting of several CSEAM [Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act] materials.””
- SupportedThomas Markle denies the allegations.The Independent UK: “His father, who had to return to the US after suffering a stroke and a blood clot, which led to the amputation of his left leg, has strongly denied the accusations and called them a “bunch of lies”.”
- SupportedThomas Markle Jnr says he reported what he found.The Independent UK: “Mr Markle Jnr told The Sun he was “horrified” by what he found and had “no option” but to report his father”
- SupportedMajor General Wilson Asueta said at a press conference that files consisting of CSEAM materials had been found.The Independent UK: “Major General Wilson Asueta, of the Philippine National Police (PNP), told a press conference: “We were able to find that there are files consisting of several CSEAM [Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act] materials.””
- SupportedPolice are understood to be examining phones, computer hard drives, digital storage cards and other possessions found at Markle’s Cebu City home last month.The Independent UK: “The Philippine National Police (PNP) are understood to be combing through mobile phones, computer hard drives, digital storage cards, and other possessions that were found at Meghan Markle ’s father’s home in Cebu City last month.”
- SupportedThe Times reported that investigators identified several files containing child sex abuse images and were trying to establish who produced and owned the material and whether Markle appeared in it.The Independent UK: “Investigators are said to have identified several files containing child sex abuse images and are working to determine who produced and owned the material, and whether Mr Markle appeared in the imagery, The Times reported.”
- SupportedThe Times said no formal complaint had been made against Markle.The Independent UK: “The newspaper said no formal complaint has been made against Mr Markle.”
- SupportedThe investigation began last month after Thomas Markle Jnr allegedly found “hundreds” of images at his father’s home when he moved from the Philippines earlier this year.The Independent UK: “Authorities in the Philippines launched an investigation into the 82-year-old last month after his son, Thomas Markle Jnr, allegedly discovered “hundreds” of child sex images left behind at his father’s home when he moved from the country earlier this year.”
- Partly supportedPolice were granted a warrant last Thursday to examine the material.The Independent UK: “Police were granted a warrant last Thursday to examine the alleged stash of images”
- SupportedMarkle Jnr told The Sun, “I won't speak to my father ever again unless I'm called to give evidence against him.”The Independent UK: “telling the newspaper: “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.””
- SupportedA second stash of child sex abuse images was reportedly found in a storage unit Markle is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.The Independent UK: “A second stash of child sex abuse images was also reportedly found in a storage unit that Mr Markle is said to have rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.”