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

Thomas Markle is being 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.

He had been arrested by federal law enforcement and is in custody.

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.

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".

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.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

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