Thomas Markle ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation over child abuse images charge

Judge orders psychiatric evaluation

A federal judge in Tampa, Florida, has ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan Markle, to establish whether he is mentally fit to answer the charge against him. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin wrote in a two-page order that a lack of recall, linked to his advanced age, and his conduct at the first court appearance raised doubts about his competence to face prosecution. She said she found reasonable cause to believe he may have a mental disease or defect that leaves him unable to grasp the nature of the case or help with his defence. Forensic psychiatrist Amie Gerodimos has been appointed to carry out an independent examination, reach a diagnosis and give an opinion on whether he can be tried. Her report must be presented to the court by 20 November. Griffin said her findings rested on unspecified information about his health.

Charge and seized material

Markle was arrested on Friday, 6 November, at the Florida nursing home where he lives and was charged with a single federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material. According to an FBI affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, agents seized slides, film negatives and books from storage units he had rented in Los Angeles since 2008. Two explicit photographs allegedly show him posing with a naked girl, and other images show him with children in various states of undress. One picture allegedly shows the girl in a room that appears to belong to a motel chain in the Philippines, where Markle lived for a period. Reports also say that similar material had previously turned up in storage in the Philippines and Mexico.

Key dates

The case has moved quickly from the arrest on 6 November to the evaluation order issued on 10 November. The report to the court is due on 20 November, and the judge will rely on it when deciding whether Markle can take part in the proceedings. Markle's release conditions were set at the same first hearing on 6 November. The timeline below sets out these three dates.

Release and conditions

No plea was entered at the hearing on 6 November. The judge allowed Markle to leave custody on personal recognizance, on condition that he submit to home detention and electronic monitoring. Reports say he is also barred from using the internet and from any contact with children, and that he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Markle has also lost his accommodation, as TMZ reported that the dementia-care facility in Lakeland where he was staying opposes his return. The federal public defender assigned to him, Mary Claire Wolf, had not responded to requests for comment.

Meghan and Harry in Brussels

On Tuesday, 10 November, Prince Harry spoke alone at the European Parliament in Brussels, while Meghan, 45, did not take the floor. The couple's foundation, Archewell, unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial, an installation of giant phone screens showing portraits of children and teenagers whose deaths were linked to social media. Harry took part in a roundtable on protecting children online, where he welcomed lawsuits against American social media companies and warned that artificial intelligence is the next battle. He also backed the so-called Kids Act, a European proposal to ban social media for under-13s. Meghan had not appeared in public since her father's arrest, and an anonymous source told The Telegraph that she did not feel emotionally strong enough to speak in public.