▶ Watch Video: Duchess Meghan’s estranged father charged with possessing child sex abuse materials
A U.S. judge has ordered a psychiatric examination for Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, after his arrest for alleged possession of images of child sexual abuse.
Thomas Markle, 82, is charged with one count of “possession of child pornography” and made an initial court appearance in Tampa in Florida on Friday.
Judge Lindsay Griffin cited his “health condition,” “advanced age” and “lack of recall” in the order issued on Friday, without providing further details.
Markle was taken into custody by FBI agents earlier that day at the retirement home where he lives in Lakeland, Florida.
The Justice Department said he allegedly “kept child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades.”
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
Pictures of child sex abuse have also allegedly been found at Markle’s former home in the Philippines and at a storage unit he rented in Mexico.
The judge said she found “reasonable cause to believe” that Markle was suffering from a condition “rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense.”
She instructed a psychiatrist to provide a report on Markle’s mental state by Nov. 20.
Markle was previously released on personal recognizance and was ordered to submit to home detention and electronic monitoring. Markle is also not permitted to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California.
Markle had been living in Cebu in the Philippines until reportedly returning to the United States this year.
Meghan Markle said last month that she was “deeply distressed” by accusations that her father possessed images of child sexual abuse.
He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Investigations in Philippines, U.S. and Mexico
Last month, it was reported that Markle was under investigation by authorities in the Philippines for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. Markle has denied the claims against him, calling them “sick lies.”
“I have never downloaded anything like that in my life,” he was quoted as telling the Daily Mail.
A spokesperson for the Philippine National Police told CBS News in a statement that they launched an investigation after Markle’s personal items were turned over to law enforcement by his son, Thomas Markle Jr.
Markle Jr. told the Sun tabloid last month that he reported the images to police in the Philippines and contacted the FBI.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now,” Markle Jr. told The Sun. “I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
The Daily Mail reported that it alerted the FBI of a cache of child porn found inside a storage unit Markle Sr. had rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
The Baja California State Attorney General’s Office in Mexico confirmed to CBS News that a search was conducted on Oct. 29 after a report via the 911 emergency line.
“During the operation, three old magazines and VHS tapes containing child pornography were discovered,” the office said in its statement. “The evidence and the associated case files were referred to the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which will handle the follow-up to the case.”