Philippine police said their investigation into allegations that Thomas Markle Sr. possessed child sexual abuse material is progressing, but stressed that any case will depend on the evidence gathered. The 82-year-old’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported his father to local police and the FBI after alleging that he found illegal material in a home in Cebu City where his father had lived.
“The investigation is going in the right direction,” Philippine National Police Acting Director Pmgen Wilson Casueta told reporters Tuesday. He said authorities would file a case if there is sufficient evidence. Casueta also said the FBI and other US law enforcement agencies are conducting their own inquiries in partnership with Philippine officials.
Casueta described one video as showing boys and girls of Asian and Caucasian descent, and said it did not include Filipino children. He indicated that the Philippine authorities had been contacted by the FBI and US agencies, but not by police in London.
Authorities did not comment on reports by Agence France-Presse that Mexican officials had searched a storage unit rented by Markle. Reports said the unit, in Rosarito, contained computer equipment and magazines from Asia, but officials have not disclosed further details about what was found.
Markle Jr. has alleged that he found hundreds or even thousands of abusive images at his father’s Cebu home, including material involving children he said appeared to be no older than 10 or 11. A separate report by the Daily Mail alleged that additional material, including pornographic publications and photographs that appeared to depict underage girls, was found in the Mexican storage unit. Those claims have not been established in court.
The Philippine Department of Justice’s Office of the Regional Prosecutor VII said appropriate legal action could be pursued if there is sufficient evidence to identify someone who may be held liable. Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla has also cautioned that authorities need to consider all aspects of the case before releasing their findings.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said in a statement after her half-brother’s allegations became public that she was deeply distressed. She also said she had received a letter in 2018 containing similar allegations, which contributed to her estrangement from her father.
Sources: Page Six.