A Philippine official has said an investigation into Thomas Markle Sr’s alleged possession of child abuse material may point to a sex offender of the “grossest kind”, after authorities reportedly found illicit images at his home.
Jonvic Remulla, the Philippines’ interior minister, told The Guardian that investigators discovered a “trove of child pornography materials as well as a laptop” during a search of the property.
He said forensic work was continuing before any findings were released. “In these cases where family disputes are mixed up, we have to consider all the angles,” Mr Remulla said. “Right now all signs point to a possible sex offender of the grossest kind. We want to be sure before we release the findings. The forensics data will be complete in a week.”
The investigation began after Mr Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, reported him to the authorities. Mr Markle Sr has denied the claims, describing them as “bulls***”.
Mr Markle Jr previously told The Sun that he had found “hundreds, if not thousands” of alleged child sex abuse images before contacting authorities.
The allegations have also been linked to claims previously raised with Meghan Markle. She said she had received a letter containing similar allegations, while the Metropolitan Police confirmed it had sent Meghan a letter containing “several claims” about her father in 2019.
The force said it had chosen not to share or forward the claims to any other law enforcement jurisdiction. Meghan reportedly later wrote to her father explaining why she did not want further contact after learning of the allegations.
Mr Markle Sr has acknowledged that Meghan and her family ended contact with him, but said in an interview with The Mail on Sunday that he had not been given the opportunity to refute the claims. He has also denied ever having sex with anyone underage.
