Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been ordered back to jail after he allegedly cut off the electronic ankle monitor he was required to wear while awaiting trial on a federal child sexual abuse material charge.

A federal judge in Tampa, Florida, ordered Markle detained without bond on Tuesday, 10 November, after prosecutors said he removed the monitoring device at about 1.45am that morning. He was arrested shortly afterwards and appeared in court later the same day.

Judge revokes release after monitor removed

US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin revoked the order that had released Markle under home detention and electronic monitoring, finding that a violation had occurred. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed Markle was back in custody in Tampa pending a federal court hearing.

“Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions,” Essayli said, adding that prosecutors were asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial. He said he did not know why the device had been removed.

Charge dates back to 6 November arrest

Markle was first arrested in Lakeland, Florida, on Friday, 6 November, and charged with one federal count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors say investigators seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected images, from two storage units he rented in the Los Angeles area.

The units had been rented since 2008, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Markle did not enter a plea at his first court appearance and was released under home detention with an ankle monitor. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

The judge also ordered a mental competency examination, with a report due by 20 November. The case is pending in California, where the charge was filed.

Harry and Meghan in Brussels the same day

The ruling came on the same day Prince Harry and Meghan travelled to Brussels to open the Lost Screen Memorial at the European Parliament, which honours children who have died as a result of online harms. Harry gave a keynote address on children’s safety online, telling the audience: “A child’s safety should never depend on which country they call home.”

Meghan, who had originally been due to speak alongside him, did not address the audience. It was the couple’s first public appearance together since her father’s arrest four days earlier.