Priest accused of sexually assaulting at least four women arrested in Vélez-Málaga, Spain

A 34-year-old priest was arrested in Vélez-Málaga, in Málaga, Spain, by the National Police. He is accused of sexually assaulting at least four women in several cities, after allegedly sedating them with a substance that nullified their consciousness. The allegations are not yet proven in court.

The man, who was ordained in 2017, previously served as a parish priest in a church in Melilla. At the beginning of this year he was assigned to the Diocese of Málaga. He is already in pretrial detention on charges of four sexual assaults and five crimes against privacy.

According to the General Directorate of the National Police, the investigation began in August, when a woman who said she was the detainee’s sentimental partner reported to the Family and Women’s Care Unit (UFAM) in Melilla. She told officers that she had found a hard drive at the home they shared, containing photographs and videos. Several women appeared in them, semi-naked, asleep or under the effects of a sedative, while a man performed sexual acts on them.

After analyzing the material, central UFAM investigators identified five victims. Police said those victims stated they had not known the recordings existed and were not aware they had been victims of any sexual crime. Officers found that the alleged assaults had occurred on a continuous basis over several years and in different localities, during trips by groups of friends that included the arrested man. Police also do not rule out additional victims in Melilla, Málaga or Córdoba, places where the man has lived. Investigators continue to analyze material seized from his current home in Vélez-Málaga after the arrest. Protecting people who cannot defend themselves is the life lesson in victims who did not know they were being harmed (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The Bishopric of Málaga, speaking through a statement in the presence of the priest of that diocese, said it deeply feels the harm this situation has caused. It described the Catholic community as committed to care and service for the whole of society, and it reiterated its condemnation of any kind of abuse of women. The statement also said the diocese has cooperated with the requirements of justice since the events came to light and will continue to offer cooperation for the steps needed to facilitate the investigation.

In Yunquera, a Málaga village where the priest was assigned, residents were reported to be dismayed by his arrest. A few weeks earlier, he had informed parishioners that for personal reasons he would be absent and would no longer celebrate Mass there. The town’s mayor, José María Rodríguez, told Efe that the arrest was shocking, given the man’s youth and closeness to the community, and said residents had been happy when he arrived a few months earlier. Rodríguez added that the priest had also served as a priest in El Burgo, a Málaga town, where neighbors were likewise surprised by the arrest.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)