Associated Press
February 10, 2011
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5inguBe8NP5BSxARFnjjZKadqm8Ag?docId=5911992
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| Protesters gather in front of the Hall of Justice in San Jose to support Will Lynch during a preliminary hearing on Feb. 9, 2011. Lynch is accused of attacking Rev. Jerold Lindner who he said molested him and his brother decades ago. Lynch supporters held protest signs to support him. (AP Photo /Mercury News, Gary Reyes) |
A U.S. man was ordered Thursday to stand trial for assault in the beating of a Catholic priest he claims molested him more than 35 years ago.
Prosecutors allege William Lynch, 43, attacked the Rev. Jerold Lindner, 65, last May at the Jesuits' Sacred Heart retirement home in Los Gatos.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge David Cena ruled that Lynch, of San Francisco, must be tried on one felony count of assault. The judge declined a request to reduce the charge to a misdemeanour.
Lynch could face a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted, prosecutor Vicki Gemetti said.
The judge did not set a date for the trial, but attorneys on both sides said it would likely take place this summer.
"We feel strongly the jury will come back with a not guilty verdict when they've seen all the evidence," said Pat Harris, Lynch's attorney. "They've got the wrong man on trial."
Lynch hopes the case will lead to changes in the statute of limitations, which has prevented prosecution of past sex abuse cases, Harris said.
Lynch says he and his brother were molested by Lindner during a weekend camping trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1975. The boys were then 7 and 4.
Lindner has repeatedly denied abusing anyone and has never been criminally charged.
The siblings received $625,000 in a 1998 confidential settlement with the Jesuits for alleged abuse.
Lynch has said he wants the case to go to trial so he can expose the alleged molestation, raise awareness of clergy abuse and encourage other victims to come forward.
Lynch says the childhood abuse has tormented him for years and contributed to alcohol abuse, depression, nightmares and a divorce.
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