A priest who sedated and raped women is arrested in Vélez-Málaga

The National Police have arrested a man in Vélez-Málaga who allegedly sexually assaulted several women, sedating them and recording the acts. These women, who were part of his social circle, were assaulted in different years and locations and were unaware that they had been victims of sexual crimes.

So far, five women have been identified, but investigators do not rule out the emergence of new victims. The detained individual, who has been remanded in custody, is facing charges of four sexual assaults and five privacy-related offenses.

Sources close to the investigation have told Efe that the suspect is a 34-year-old priest who is accused of sexually assaulting at least four women. The arrested man, ordained as a priest in 2017, previously served as a parish priest in Melilla and was assigned to the Diocese of Málaga at the beginning of the year. He is currently in provisional custody, facing four sexual assault charges and five privacy-related charges.

Sexual Assaults Spanning Several Years on Trips with Friends.
The investigation began in August of this year when a woman reported to the Family and Women's Assistance Unit (UFAM) in Melilla that she had discovered a hard drive at her partner's shared residence.

The drive contained photos and videos depicting several women partially undressed, asleep, or under the influence of sedatives while a man engaged in various sexual acts with them. Concerned that these sexual acts may not have been consensual, the complainant made a copy of the hard drive and went to the police station to inform the officers.

After a thorough analysis of the graphic material, investigators discovered that the arrested man was seen engaging in sexual acts with different unconscious women in some of the videos, acts that he also videoed. The agents were able to identify five victims who claimed to be unaware of the existence of the recordings and were not conscious of having been victims of any sexual crimes.

The investigators determined that the sexual assaults had occurred continuously over different years and locations, during group trips with friends that included the arrested man. It is alleged that he had administered some form of substance to the victims to render them unconscious, facilitating the sexual assaults.

With all the gathered information, the police set up surveillance around his residence, which ultimately led to his arrest. Following his arrest, a search and seizure operation was conducted, during which various technological materials were confiscated for further analysis. After appearing before a judge, he was remanded in pretrial custody.

The investigation remains open as investigators believe there may be additional victims in Melilla, Málaga, or Córdoba, places where the arrested man has resided.