Thomas Markle denies second alleged stash of child sexual abuse images in Mexico
Thomas Markle denies allegations that a second stash of child sexual abuse images was found in a Mexican storage unit he reportedly rented, with the Daily Mail saying it passed findings to the FBI.
How it was covered
- Sky News carried 53% of the airtime and concentrated on the Daily Mail's detailed allegations, FBI referral and police watchdog inquiry.
- GB News concentrated on front-page allegations against Thomas Markle and a brief denial note.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, Channel 4 and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, has denied allegations that a second stash of child sexual abuse images was found in a storage unit in Mexico. The claim was reported on newspaper front pages and set out in more detail in later broadcast coverage.
GB News reported that the Daily Mail and The Sun both led on the story. It said The Sun's front page carried the phrase 'child abuse stash number two' and reported that a second stash of alleged child abuse images said to belong to Thomas Markle Sr had been found in a lock-up near his previous address in Mexico. GB News said the report came eight days after The Sun revealed a smaller cache, and noted that Markle, 82, denied all the allegations. It also said The Sun's front page reported that the FBI had been called over a 'vile lockup'.
Sky News gave a detailed account of the Daily Mail's allegations. Its correspondent Adele Bodington said journalists travelled to Rosarito Beach in Mexico, about 10 miles from the US border. They reported finding child sexual abuse images, books about paedophilia and magazines showing children being sexually abused in a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle Sr, which had since been abandoned.
According to Sky News, the Daily Mail said receipts confirmed that Markle had rented or leased the unit in 2017. It said he had failed to keep up rental payments within the past couple of years, after which journalists were given access. The paper said it had passed all its findings to the FBI.
Sky News also reported that Markle is in rehab in Florida and had his leg amputated 11 months ago in the Philippines. It said authorities in the Philippines are investigating suspected child sexual abuse images found at his former home there. Markle has always completely denied all allegations against him, calling them sick lies.
Sky News reported a separate police inquiry. The Metropolitan Police is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over a 2019 letter involving allegations about Markle. The force said it shared the letter with the Duchess of Sussex but did not tell other law enforcement agencies, and referred itself to the police watchdog.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Newspapers alleged that a second stash of child abuse images belonging to Thomas Markle was found in a lockup near his previous address in Mexico. | ||
| Thomas Markle, 82, denied all the allegations. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| The Daily Mail said it had passed its findings to the FBI. | Not reported by GB News | |
| The IOPC is investigating the Metropolitan Police over a letter involving allegations about Thomas Markle. | Not reported by GB News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News treated the story as part of a newspaper review, reading front pages and stressing that the claims were allegations. It gave the broad outline, including the Mexico lock-up and the denial, but did not detail the Daily Mail's evidence or the wider police inquiries. Its panel was not shown discussing the substance.
- “There's a vault of shame apparently in the Daily Mail.”
- “A second stash of alleged child abuse images said to belong to Thomas Markle, senior, having been probed last night.”
- “82 has denied all the allegations.”
Sky News gave the most detailed account, using a correspondent piece to set out what the Daily Mail alleged, where the storage unit was and what it reportedly contained. It also linked the story to Markle's health, a separate Philippines investigation and a Metropolitan Police referral to the IOPC.
- “A second batch of sordid material, including magazines, books about paedophilia and images of child abuse has reportedly been found in a lock-up in Mexico belonging to Thomas Markle, that is the Duchess of Sussex's father.”
- “Thomas Markle has always completely denied all allegations against him, calling them sick lies.”
- “The Daily Mail has said that it has passed all the information, all its findings to the FBI over in the US as well.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.