Former Teacher From Arlington Sentenced For Child Sexual Abuse

BOSTON, MA — A former Boston schoolteacher pleaded guilty Monday to sexually abusing one of his students over a period of several years, starting when she was 12 years old.

David Lockwood, 54, of Arlington, was sentenced to four years in state prison, followed by two years of probation. He must also register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors said Lockwood was the girl's teacher at the Timilty Middle School and would often drive her to different locations, including school-sponsored events. Lockwood began abusing her during one of those drives in 1996, and the abuse continued past her 16th birthday in 2000, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said.

"Massachusetts law, however, does not offer the same protection to minors once they turn 16, despite their continued vulnerability to coercive acts by adults in positions of authority," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

The survivor came forward as an adult in 2017, and prosecutors indicted Lockwood on four counts of rape of a child. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins called the crimes to which Lockwood pleaded guilty the "actions of a predator."

"This individual used his position of trust and authority to gain access to his victim and to maintain an unequal power dynamic that kept her silent and under his control," Rollins said.

Lockwood must undergo sex offender treatment and is prohibited from being employed as a teacher once he is on probation. He must stay away from the victim and cannot have any unsupervised contact with children under 18, except his own child.