Philippines police find child abuse images in Thomas Markle inquiry

Philippines police have confirmed that some electronic devices handed to them by Thomas Markle's son contain files showing children engaged in sexual activity, ITV News reported on 3 November. The devices included phones, hard drives and memory cards. Police said initial inspection showed the images did not appear to be from the Philippines, and that further analysis was needed to establish their exact origin and any alleged link to Thomas Markle.

ITV News reported that the investigation was triggered by the alleged contents of one mobile phone. Thomas Markle's son, also called Thomas, said he found the phone among his father's possessions and, when he opened it to use it, claimed he saw indecent images of children. The son had reported finding images of child abuse at his father's former home in Cebu.

A search warrant allowed police to examine the devices. Several boxes were flown from Cebu to Manila, where digital forensic specialists were checking computer processing units, hard drives, camcorders and videotapes alleged to belong to Thomas Markle. A task force in Cebu began searching several mobile phones.

The regional prosecutor in Cebu said the process had been expedited and officers would work around the clock, even over a holiday weekend. He said it could be as early as next week before authorities knew whether Meghan's father would face charges.

Thomas Markle, 82, strongly denies possessing or sending illegal images in the Philippines or Mexico. In a wide-ranging exchange with ITV News, he said he would be willing to answer questions from Philippine police, but that neither Filipino nor American authorities had contacted him. He has denied the allegations since his son first reported him.

The Daily Mail said it had told the FBI about child pornography it said was found in a storage unit rented by Thomas Markle when he lived in Mexico. The FBI raided a storage container alleged to belong to him after it was reported to contain potentially illegal materials.

Philippine police said their priority was to establish who owned the materials, identify the people in them and decide whether there was enough evidence for criminal charges. No charges have so far been brought against Thomas Markle or anyone else in the investigation.

ITV News reported that London's Metropolitan Police had informed other police departments around the world about a letter accusing Thomas Markle of child sex offences. The force admitted it should have taken that action seven years earlier.

ITV News also reported the wider context in the Philippines, where an estimated one in every 100 children has been trafficked to produce online sexual content for profit, equivalent to almost half a million children. Patricia, a campaigner, said she was exploited at 15 by an uncle and that family members are the perpetrators in most cases.