Martins Enegbuma

On 25 December 2020, Martins Enegbuma, a 44-year-old Catholic priest originally from Nigeria, sexually assaulted a parishioner in her 20s at his residence adjacent to Our Lady, Mother of the Church in the Currie area of Edinburgh. The victim, along with her mother and another relative, had visited Enegbuma out of kindness to ensure he was not alone on Christmas Day, bringing him food for the holiday. During the 45-minute visit, Enegbuma subjected the woman to a series of unwanted advances described in court as a 'catalogue of sexual touching'.

The assault began with Enegbuma instigating physical contact, including pinning the victim against a staircase, rubbing her foot, compressing her toe, embracing her tightly, and running his hands over her body. He also kissed her hand and forehead with lingering wet kisses, leaving her distressed and repulsed. Fiscal depute Ross Price, prosecuting at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, highlighted Enegbuma's 'gross abuse of position' and 'gross abuse of trust' as a priest who had known the woman for several months through his role at the church. Price described the incident as the victim being 'set upon in a predatory fashion', culminating in 'one horrible incident'.

The victim initially felt frightened and did not immediately disclose the assault to her mother but later confided in her on Christmas Day. Her mother provided testimony about Enegbuma's 'unpriestly conduct'. Enegbuma denied the charges during a two-day trial starting on 31 January 2022. However, Sheriff Adrian Fraser found the victim and her mother to be 'credible and reliable' witnesses, ruling that the touching was intentional, sexual, and without consent. The sheriff noted the family's kindness towards Enegbuma on Christmas and described the matter as 'clearly a serious' one.

Enegbuma was convicted of sexual assault by repeatedly lunging over the woman, embracing her, kissing her, and inappropriately touching her body. Sentence was deferred until March 2022 for background reports, during which time he was placed on the sex offenders register and his bail continued. At the time of the trial, Enegbuma was living in Edinburgh's Niddrie area. The case was reported by the Daily Record on 1 February 2022, based on proceedings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.