US Priests Lay Out Defense Before Rape Trial

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for two priests accused of raping boys in the mid-1990s plan to attack the victims’ motives when the landmark trial starts next week in Philadelphia.

Defense lawyers revealed their strategy at a pretrial hearing Monday.

The Rev. James Brennan’s lawyer will tell jurors that his client’s accuser sought the priest out as an adult when he needed to do court-ordered community service.

Defrocked priest Edward Avery’s accuser was expelled from an archdiocesan high school at age 14 and began a long battle with drug addiction.

His lawyer will argue that the accuser hoped to get money from the church and get revenge for the expulsion.

Co-defendant Monsignor William Lynn is the first U.S. church official charged with keeping accused priests in ministry.