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The church was rocked by two scandals involving two priests in Malaga province in 2023. The first, Father Fran, was accused of sedating and sexually assaulting several women. The second, Father Roberto, who was investigated for harassing an ex-girlfriend, is now on trial and faces a prison sentence.
According to SUR sources, the public prosecution has already filed an indictment against Father Roberto, who was the parish priest of Canillas de Aceituno, Salares and Sedella until his ex-girlfriend's complaint became public in October last year. The Bishopric took action by removing him from the priesthood in Malaga.
The public prosecution is demanding he be jailed for 15 months and a restraining order of 500 metres be in place for three years for the alleged harassment and stalking. The public prosecution is also requesting Father Roberto pay the victim 3,000 euros in compensation.
Meanwhile, the private prosecution, represented by Luis Entrambasaguas of Maireles Abogados, is asking for up to two years in prison with the same restraining order and 6,000 euros to be paid in compensation.
The case, being heard by the court for violence against women in Malaga, has already accumulated a total of six complaints made by the victim in different locations throughout Spain such as Torremolinos, Madrid, Cartagena and Velez-Malaga.
The prosecution reports that the woman had a relationship with the priest for three months, between the end of 2021 and the start of 2022. "The accused did not stop bothering the victim, not accepting the break-up, trying to contact her on repeated occasions and through third parties," the indictment pointed out.
The alleged harassment forced the woman to "change her address to avoid encountering him", the public prosecution claimed. "After moving to live in Madrid, the accused tried to make contact with [the complainant], calling her workplace to ask for her and even going to her place of work on 27 October 2022," the indictment pointed out.
The next incident allegedly took place in February 2023, when the victim received a phone call from an unknown number. According to the prosecution, the caller was Father Roberto, who tried to arrange a meeting with her and even wrote to her: "I will be your worst nightmare, you will find out, you will know more about me, all in good time".
Days later, while the victim was at the Archidona carnival festivities with some friends, "the accused appeared in the main square where [the complainant] was, trying to talk to her, despite her repeated refusals", according to the prosecution.
On 21 February of the same year, after the victim had moved again - she had relocated to Cartagena - the defendant appeared at the wheel of a car and drove past her new workplace, which caused her "a situation of uneasiness and fear".
The file does not include the latest incident, which allegedly took place on 4 September, when the victim was driving her car on the A-7 motorway at Rincón de la Victoria, heading in the direction of Malaga city, as she was on her way to the Vialia shopping centre.
According to what the woman reported at the time, she noticed that the priest, who she had already reported on five occasions, drove behind her car and, when she let him pass, "he looked at her and laughed". He then moved in front and, according to the woman's version of the events, started to slow down his vehicle.
The victim then moved into the centre lane and from there into the left lane to pass him, but the man allegedly pulled in behind her and started to accelerate, which caused her to move back into the centre lane. Father Roberto allegedly repeated the manoeuvre: he moved in front and slowed down. However, she did have time to take a photo and alert the Guardia Civil.
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