Shrewsbury HS Mentor Had Child Porn On Phone, Prosecutors Say

SHREWSBURY, MA — A local man who served as a mentor for the Shrewsbury High School robotics club was arrested Monday after investigators found suspected child porn on his phone — plus images of young women taken at the high school, according to federal prosecutors.

Brian Lingard, 60, is being charged with possession of child sexual abuse material and the transportation of child sex abuse material. The materials were discovered during a search of his phone on Oct. 19 after Lingard got off a plane from Paris.

Lingard was an electronics mentor for the high school's F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team 467 for the past decade. His name and image had been removed from the team's website on Monday.

According to federal prosecutors, investigators found 23 images on Lingard's phone depicting the abuse of children all under the age of 10. Investigators also found images of clothed girls under 18 likely taken at Shrewsbury High School.

"The images appear to have been taken surreptitiously and are focused on the buttocks of the minor females. A review of the metadata associated with these photos allegedly revealed that some were taken at Shrewsbury High School," the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said in a news release.

In a message to parents Monday, Shrewsbury Superintendent Joe Sawyer said the images taken at the high school are not part of the child porn charges, and that the district never received any complaints from students about Lingard's behavior.

"SHS administration is communicating directly with students associated with the SHS Robotics team, their families, and robotics program coaches/volunteers to address any questions or concerns they have about this situation and to provide support as needed," Sawyer said.

Lingard was set to appear at federal court in Worcester Monday for an initial hearing. He could face five or more years in prison based on the charges, according to prosecutors.