SAN JOSE (BCN) -- A man accused of beating a priest he says molested him and his  brother began emotional testimony Friday morning at his trial on assault  charges.

      William Lynch, 44, told the jury 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.

      Lindner testified last week that Lynch had attacked him at the  retirement home, but denied sexually abusing him or his brother.

      However, he later invoked his Fifth Amendment right against  self-incrimination and refused to testify further, making it impossible for  the defense to cross-examine him.

      Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge David Cena instructed  jurors on Tuesday to disregard Lindner's testimony.

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