Meghan's father Thomas Markle under house arrest after child sex abuse material charge

Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been placed under house detention at his assisted living facility in Florida after being charged over possession of child sex abuse material. Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida on a federal complaint alleging he held images that show child sex abuse, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said. He is charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children, the DoJ said.

Markle has previously denied allegations of possessing images of child sex abuse, calling them "sick lies". At the court hearing, the charges were laid out against him by federal prosecutor Courtenay Derry, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News. He was brought into court in a wheelchair, escorted by two US Marshals.

Markle was wearing black trousers and a black t-shirt. No plea was taken during the hearing, and an arraignment date in California will be determined in due course, a joint statement from the DoJ and the US Attorney's Office Central California said.