Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapPhilippine Police Intensify Thomas Markle Snr Investigation After Child Abuse Material Found
“Meghan Markle has found a way to make her father’s disturbing scandal all about herself”
“Meghan has spoken out about an investigation into her estranged father, Thomas Markle.”
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Philippine police found suspected child abuse material on devices at Markle Sr.'s Cebu City home. Investigators say Markle Sr. faces a criminal probe; he denies the allegations as 'sick lies'.
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Devices, warrants, probe
Philippine police said they were intensifying their investigation into Thomas Markle Snr after child abuse material was discovered on three memory cards and a mobile phone that his son, Thomas Markle Jnr, had earlier handed over to authorities.
Philippine national police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jnr told AFP, "We have to establish where these came from, who may be responsible, and whether Philippine laws were violated."
Philippine National Police reported that the files were identified during a preliminary forensic analysis after Thomas Markle Jr. turned the devices over to authorities at the end of October.
The PNP Acting Director, Major General Wilson C. Asueta, told reporters in a press conference that "Initial findings of the Anti-Cybercrime Group on the digital devices" identified "several Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials."
Who is being investigated
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla told reporters in Manila that Markle Jnr was being treated as a "person of interest", not a suspect, as the inquiry widened. Remulla said witnesses alleged that underage girls were brought to the younger Markle’s home, while media reports last month said suspected child sexual abuse material allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle Snr, 82, had been found at his former home in Cebu.
Philippine police said their findings did not yet establish who owned, produced, or distributed the materials, nor conclusively determine where they originated, and they said an examination of further evidence was ongoing. The Los Noticieristas account said investigators were reviewing at least nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives, and a camera, and it said the PNP warned that charges related to online child abuse and exploitation could be brought if tests established accountability.
Meghan, police, and next steps
Meghan Markle said she was "deeply distressed" by the "sickening" allegations against her father and she said she had known about the claims since 2019. The Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation into the Metropolitan Police after the force admitted it failed to share the 2019 allegations regarding Thomas Markle Snr with other law enforcement agencies.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it received a letter containing allegations about Markle Snr but initially caused confusion by saying it was received in January 2019, and it said the letter was then forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but was not shared with any other law enforcement agencies. Philippine police said they were liaising with other national units including the national Bureau of Immigration and the Anti-Money Laundering Council, and they said they were working with the FBI as the investigation continued.