The prosecution is seeking a 10-year prison sentence for former priest Jesús Maria Menéndez, known as Daddy Chus, a 70-year-old man accused of offering money and drugs to minors in his apartment in Gijón in exchange for sexual acts.
According to documents filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office with Investigation Court No. 4 in Gijón, the defendants have allegedly been in contact with minors since at least 2015 to invite them to his home, where small sums of money were given or marijuana was provided for consumption in the presence of the ex-priest.
In the case, two additional defendants, aged 20 and 23, are also said to have supplied cannabis to minors so they could use it in the presence of the former priest, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors contend that the person known as Father Chus sought to earn the trust of as many children as possible, using sex as a tool to secure superiority, with the promise of money, marijuana, or access to his home where drugs could be used freely.
The Prosecutor’s Office describes a scenario in which three parties allegedly attempted to engage in sexual activity with minors without their consent.
During a search of the defendant’s home on 11 November 2021, just over 5 grams of cannabis were seized, which the Public Prosecutor’s Office says were intended for distribution to minors.
The main suspect faces a 10-year prison term, with three minors implicated in offenses related to corruption and another charge concerning public health. For the other two defendants, prosecutors are seeking a four-year sentence for supplying marijuana to minors.
The individual known as Father Chus, who was released on 23 March following his arrest in November, had previously been expelled from the clergy in 2015 for acts deemed sinful and in violation of the relevant decree, a decision reportedly issued by the Pope. The alleged sexual abuse involved a 17-year-old.
The former priest served as a parish priest before being removed from his duties preemptively. His past postings include Castiello de la Marina, Villaviciosa, and other Asturian towns such as Tazones, Argüero, and Oles.
In addition to his religious duties, he worked as a religious educator and operated a shelter for foreigners in need in Gijón.