The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating reports that Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Britain’s Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, allegedly possessed videos and photographs depicting child sexual abuse at his home in Cebu province.
DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty told the Philippine News Agency on Friday that the department’s Anti-Trafficking and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) task force “is currently investigating the matter.”
The investigation follows claims by Markle Sr.’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., that he discovered illicit materials inside four large boxes at their father’s home.
International media reports quoting British newspaper The Sun said Thomas Jr. allegedly found videos showing girls no older than 10 or 11 engaged in sexual acts, along with a 15-minute video of naked girls on his father’s old cellphone.
He also claimed to have found three photographs of naked girls.
Thomas Jr. told The Sun that one of the images appeared to have been taken at his father’s former residence in Rosarito, Mexico.
Markle Sr., an 82-year-old American national, has since flown to the United States for medical treatment.
The allegations have prompted a DOJ investigation. The reported discovery and claims have not been presented here as independently verified findings, and no conclusion about criminal liability has been established.
Comments