Court orders mental evaluation for Thomas Markle over child abuse material charge

A US federal judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to determine whether he is mentally fit to face a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material.

A federal judge in Florida has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Thomas Markle, estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to determine whether he is mentally fit to face a child sexual abuse material charge. US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin in Tampa said in a Friday order that his initial court appearance, including a “lack of recall,” raised questions about his competency, Reuters reported.

Markle, 82, was arrested on Friday on a single federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material, including two explicit photographs of himself posed with a naked underage girl.

An FBI affidavit said agents seized the material from storage units he had rented in Los Angeles since 2008. FBI Director Kash Patel said Markle “targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions.” No plea was entered, and he was released on personal recognizance under home detention and electronic monitoring. Griffin, citing “reasonable cause to believe” he may be mentally incompetent, appointed forensic psychiatrist Dr Amie Gerodimos to examine him, with a report due November 20.