Lynch takes the stand, admits attacking priest

CALIFORNIA
KGO

[with video]

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A man accused of beating a priest he says molested him and his brother began emotional testimony this morning at his trial on assault charges.

William Lynch, 44, told the jury this morning that the Rev. Jerold Linder, now 67, raped him and his brother on a 1974 camping trip.

Lynch said the abuse has destroyed his life.

He is charged with assault and elder abuse for allegedly beating Lindner on May 10, 2010, at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos.

He admitted today to hitting the priest multiple times during a confrontation.

“I was angry, I was reverting back to things from my childhood,” Lynch said.

“I wanted him to admit what he’d done to me,” he said.

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