Meghan's father sent to jail after 'cutting off' ankle bracelet

Thomas Markle has been sent to jail after he allegedly cut off the ankle bracelet monitoring his movements under house arrest.

The First Assistant US Attorney in the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, said Markle - the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - "cut the bracelet" off at 1.45am on Tuesday (6.45am UK Time).

At a hearing in Tampa, US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin, of the Middle District of Florida, ordered Markle to be detained and jailed without bond.

In court documents filed after his appearance, the judge wrote that "the defendant violated the conditions of his pretrial release and that, based on the lack of suitable housing, no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community and the defendant's appearance in court."

Markle had been arrested by federal law enforcement.

The prosecutor's office had earlier said it would be asking the court to revoke his release and remand him in custody, pending his trial over child abuse image charges.

Mr Essayli said: "Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions. We are asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial, and we will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."

Markle's initial arrest on Friday followed the seizure of around 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse images in storage in the Los Angeles area, Mr Essayli said.

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The Duchess of Sussex's father appeared in court last Friday after being arrested and charged with allegedly possessing child sexual abuse images.

The 82-year-old was pictured in handcuffs in a wheelchair as FBI agents escorted him from a retirement home.

He appeared at a short court hearing in Tampa, Florida, and was charged with one count of "possession of child pornography".

Hours later, a judge allowed Markle to be released on the condition that he would be electronically monitored, which generally means wearing an ankle tag.

Markle was living in the Philippines this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated, forcing him to return to the US.

On Tuesday, Harry and Meghan arrived at the European Parliament in Brussels for their first joint public appearance since Markle's arrest.

Harry took to the podium to deliver a solo keynote address after the duchess pulled out of speaking alongside him because she was not "strong enough emotionally".

(c) Sky News 2026: Meghan's father sent to jail after 'cutting off' ankle bracelet