Thomas Markle arrest piles pressure on Metropolitan Police after ‘failing to investigate abuse claims’

Thomas Sr strongly denies the allegations against him.

In a 2019 letter to Scotland Yard, Roslyn Loveless made claims about possible offences committed overseas.

She requested officers contact her by phone or visit her personally if they needed more details.

Although the contents of the letter were made known to senior officers and Palace officials, no further action was taken before she died two years ago.

In another blow, the Metropolitan Police reportedly failed to contact the Duchess of Sussex to establish which royal protection officer passed on a letter containing allegations against her estranged father.

A source close to Meghan told the Daily Telegraph: “The Met has not been in touch to ask for our assistance.

“They contacted the Duchess’s office to ask for a copy of the letter when its existence first came to light but have not been back in touch since then.”

The force announced last month it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the complaints watchdog, over its failure to act on the accusations against the 82-year-old.

However, the FBI’s swoop to arrest Thomas Sr today at Florida’s Maravida Senior Living care home and charge him throws the spotlight back on Met chiefs.

In a pointed statement, Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said: “This case highlights the importance of the involvement of the public, even if it’s a family member or close friend, to be vigilant and speak up if they have information on individuals they suspect may be preying on and exploiting our children.”

FBI director Kash Patel said authorities “moved quickly” in the arrest of the former Hollywood lighting director amid the alleged stash of illicit materials in California.

In a statement, Mr Patel says: “Mr Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions.

“This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids – any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide.”

Separately, police in the Philippines were granted a search warrant to start examining Mr Markle’s digital devices and hard drives.

His son, Thomas Markle Jnr, handed four boxes of material, said to contain mobile phones, hard drives, dismantled computers and other devices and personal effects.

Thomas Jr, 60, told authorities he discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of child-sex-abuse images at his father’s home in Cebu.

His father has admitted paying for sex in the south-east Asian country but has strongly denied the child abuse allegations.

He has described them as “sick lies” and suggested he had been “set up”.

On Tuesday, Meghan and her husband Prince Harry are due to appear in Brussels before making a speech in the European Parliament about protecting children from online harm.

Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to investigate an alleged cache of child porn found inside a storage unit Thomas Sr had rented near his former home in Mexico.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter