Former Boston Public Schools teacher David Lockwood sentenced to prison for sexual abuse of former student

Sentencing follows guilty plea in Suffolk Superior Court

A former Boston Public Schools teacher has been sentenced to state prison after admitting to sexually abusing a student over several years beginning when she was 12, authorities said.

David Lockwood, 54, of Arlington, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of child rape. The judge also imposed two years of probation following incarceration, ordered sex-offender treatment, and required that Lockwood register as a sex offender.

The case centered on conduct prosecutors said began in 1996 and continued until 2000, when Lockwood was a teacher at the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury. The victim, now an adult, later reported the abuse, leading to an indictment in 2017.

Prosecutors described exploitation of a position of authority

Prosecutors said Lockwood used his role as a teacher to gain the student’s trust and access. They said he frequently drove her to school-sponsored events and that the abuse began during one of those drives.

Prosecutors argued that the relationship reflected an imbalance of power between an adult educator and a child student, and that the victim remained silent for years.

The sentence includes supervision measures designed for sex-offense cases, including treatment requirements and registration. Court-ordered probation conditions commonly include restrictions intended to reduce the risk of reoffending and to support monitoring after release.

Timeline of the case

• 1996–2000: Prosecutors said the abuse occurred during this period while Lockwood taught at Timilty Middle School.

• 2017: Lockwood was indicted after the victim, by then an adult, came forward.

• December 2021: Lockwood was sentenced to four years in prison and additional post-release conditions after pleading guilty.

What the sentence requires

The court’s orders require Lockwood to complete sex-offender treatment, register as a sex offender, and serve probation after his prison term. Such conditions can carry significant reporting and compliance obligations, including limits tied to contact with minors and continued oversight during the probationary period.

The sentencing closes the criminal case while leaving longer-term supervision in place through probation and registration requirements.