MáLAGA (SPAIN)
The Olive Press [San Luis de Sabinillas, Spain]
September 26, 2023
By Laurence Dollimore
THIS is the Malaga priest who is accused of drugging four women before filming himself having sex with their unconscious bodies.
Francisco Javier Cuenca, 34, was arrested on September 11 by Policia Nacional at the home he shares with his mother – who was a nun – in Velez-Malaga.
The investigation began in August when his partner, with whom he had lived in Melilla, reported him to the Family and Care Unit for Women (UFAM) after discovering his hard drive filled with the disturbing videos.
The alleged victims were stunned when contacted by the authorities, as they had no idea they had been sexually assaulted, reports La Opinion de Malaga.
A fifth victim was drugged but not sexually assaulted, according to reports.
Police say the assaults had been carried out continously for years and at different locations, raising fears of more victims coming to light.
It is believed the women were known to the priest, and that he attacked them in homes and even in a clergy house.
According to investigators, all the women in the videos are of a legal age, between 25 and 35, but none knew what had happened to them.
The videos were recorded between 2017 and 2019, with the first coinciding with the very year the priest was ordained.
The priest was arrested as he returned to his home, before police officers carried out a raid on the property.
They discovered more hard drives, pen drives, several mobile phones and a camera, the contents of which are currently being analysed.
The holy man did not have an assigned parish at the time of his arrest after being transferred to Malaga in January, when it was discovered he was maintaining a romantic relationship with a woman in the north African enclave of Melilla.
The church offered him a ‘period of reflection’, during which time he often performed the Eucharist at churches in Yunquera or El Burgo.
The Bishopric of Malaga said in a statement that the diocese “deeply and forcefully” condemns these acts and expresses its “pain as a Catholic community committed to caring for and serving all of society, especially the weakest and most needy.”
It said that, “since the facts became known, this disocese has collaborated with the requirements of Justice and will continue to offer its cooperation for whatever steps are necessary in order to facilitate the investigation.”
Laurence has a BA and MA in International Relations and a Gold Standard diploma in Multi-Media journalism from News Associates in London. He was news editor for all print editions of the Olive Press from 2016 to 2019 taking on the role of Digital Editor between January 2020 and February 2021. GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress