Thomas Markle ordered back to jail after cutting off his ankle bracelet

Thomas Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, has been ordered back to jail after he removed his electronic monitoring device while under home confinement, according to federal prosecutors. The 82-year-old alleged child sexual predator appeared in a Tampa, Florida court on Tuesday, where US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin ruled that Markle would be returned to federal detention without bond.

Markle was arrested and charged on Friday with possessing child sexual abuse material, including explicit photographs of himself with a naked underage girl and other images of him with children in various states of undress. The FBI seized the material from storage units Markle had rented in Los Angeles since 2008. FBI Director Kash Patel described Markle's actions as targeting innocent children and stealing their innocence through his criminal behavior.

Markle was initially released from custody on Friday on the condition that he undergo home detention and wear a monitoring device. However, he cut off the ankle bracelet overnight, prompting federal prosecutors to request its revocation. Judge Griffin granted the request and ordered Markle to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to assess his mental competency to face prosecution, citing concerns about his age and lack of recall during his court appearance.