Thomas Markle's mugshot released to the public amid child abuse material charges

Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has released Thomas Markle Sr's mugshot to the public amid Meghan's father being charged with child abuse material offences.

Yesterday, the 82-year-old was taken back into custody after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor in the early hours of the morning.

US Attorney Bill Essayli said Mr Markle, who denies the charges against him, was told he must wear the device on his ankle before appearing before court.

However, the prosecutor alleged that at 1.45am, he cut the ankle monitor off his body.

On social media, Mr Essayli urged the court to revoke his bail and hold him in custody pending trial.

"Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions," he wrote.

Judge Lindsay Griffin granted the US Attorney's request today, saying Mr Markle had "tampered" with the monitoring device and stressed he must be taken back into custody as his living situation had become "untenable".

On Friday last week, FBI agents descended on the Maravida Senior Living care home to apprehend the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father.

The authorities had been alerted to a cache of child porn allegedly found inside a storage unit Mr Markle had rented near his former home ahead of his arrest.

Agents are said to have recovered approximately 78 items from the units, comprising film negatives, slides and books.

Mexican authorities subsequently raided the unit near the property in Rosarito Beach, where he had lived from 2011 until 2025.

Meghan first became aware of historic allegations against her father in January 2019, when police shared with her a letter penned by a whistleblower with connections to the Markle family.

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Mr Markle had moved to a Florida senior-living home specialising in dementia care after spending years abroad.

He was left wheelchair-bound after having his leg amputated in the Philippines last year.

It was in the Philippines his son, Thomas Jr, reported his father to the police after he stumbled upon a collection of alleged child sexual abuse material at his father's former home in the island nation.

After he was re-taken into custody yesterday, the US Marshals Service, which is responsible for tracking the data from Mr Markle's ankle monitor, said it was urgently working to establish the circumstances surrounding him allegedly taking the device off.

A spokesman said he had been blocked from returning to his senior living facility on Friday after being bailed.

He was subsequently "released to the custody of his other daughter" Samantha, they added.

Judge Griffin said he would be willing to release Mr Markle from custody if he is able to find alternative accommodation which would be suitable for his home detention.

Following his arrest on Friday, FBI director Kash Patel said the bureau would deploy every available resource to safeguard children, warning no predator would find "safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide".

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