Philippines to pursue child sex abuse charges against Meghan's estranged father Thomas Markle

Philippines authorities are set to proceed with criminal charges against Thomas Markle following their investigations into child sexual abuse claims.The Duchess of Sussex's father could be charged with possession of alleged Child Exploitative Sexual Material (CESM) as soon as tomorrow, ITV reported.The news comes only a day after the 82-year-old was arrested by the FBI in Florida and charged with one count of possessing child pornography.The investigation into Mr Markle has seen officers in the US and the Philippines working closely in tandem.Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr initially contacted the FBI after allegedly discovering child sexual abuse material in his father's home in Cebu.Thomas Markle Jr passed on four boxes of material to Filipino police, including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, old videotapes and books.Detectives were granted a warrant on Thursday to search the four storage boxes.Police in the Philippines searched devices, which included nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives, a camera and another non-digital object, and uncovered more than 7,000 child sexual abuse images, allegedly belonging to Thomas Markle Snr.The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father Thomas Markle, 82, was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday for allegedly possessing child porn It was the Mail's discovery of Markle's storage unit in Mexico last week (pictured, above) and our immediate alerting of the FBI that started the ball rolling on criminal proceedings in the USOfficials said the photos and one video were all of under-age males and females of Asian, Latin and European descent, with some as young as ten and 11.Interior and local government secretary Jonvic Remulla described the images as 'the most deplorable displays of impunity towards sexual activity that I have ever seen'.The FBI have been tracking the serial numbers of several mobile phones to prove they were owned by Thomas Markle Sr.Filipino prosecutors have been waiting for that verification before they lodge a criminal case.Mr Markle moved from Mexico to the Philippines in January last year before relocating to the US in May following the amputation of his lower leg. Mexican police raided a unit in Rosarito just one day after the Daily Mail alerted the FBI. Guardia Nacional officers who identified themselves as state sex crimes investigators entered the 5ft by 10ft vault, which Thomas Markle Sr is said to have stopped paying rent on in 2024.Mr Markle was taken into custody after federal agents swooped on his Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland on Friday morning.A stash of child pornography - including sexually explicit photos of himself allegedly abusing minor girls - was said to have been discovered in two storage units he had been renting for nearly two decades in Los Angeles. Mexican police raided the unit in Rosarito just one day after the Daily Mail alerted the FBI. Guardia Nacional officers who identified themselves as state sex crimes investigators entered the 5ft by 10ft vault just after midnight The Duchess of Sussex said she was 'deeply distressed' by the allegations engulfing her father in the Philippines. She has not commented on the developments in Mexico since they surfaced last weekMeghan's father was taken into custody in a wheelchair wearing handcuffs before being loaded into an ambulance. The silver-haired retiree was still wearing the same scruffy t-shirt and black sweatpants when he was wheeled into court with his hands visibly trembling on Friday afternoon for his initial hearing.Markle's arrest followed the seizure of 'approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books' that contained suspected child sexual abuse images, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said.After his arrest in Polk County, Markle appeared in federal court in Tampa and was released back to his senior care centre with the condition that he be electronically monitored.After allegations against Mr Markle emerged last month, the Duchess of Sussex revealed a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police's royal protection team in early 2019 detailing allegations of child sexual abuse against Mr Markle.She also explained she had never allowed her father to meet her children Prince Archie, seven, and five-year-old Princess Lilibet 'for one reason: to protect them'.The Duchess, who moved back to Britain over the summer after six years in the US, has been estranged from her father since she married Prince Harry in May 2018.