Jury Finds Prep School Teacher Guilty in Child Pornography Case

A teacher at an exclusive prep school was convicted Friday of possessing and shipping child pornography.

A U.S. District Court jury found Lane Bateman, 51, guilty of keeping child pornography in his apartment at Phillips Exeter Academy and of mailing it across state lines.

Bateman was surprised by the verdicts. “I expected to get zapped, but not zapped on all four (counts),” he said afterward.

The transporting counts each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; possession carries a maximum five-year penalty and $250,000 fine.

During his testimony, Bateman acknowledged owning about 300 pornographic tapes, some of them child pornography, and mailing adult pornography to his chief accuser, Philip Michael Caven. But he denied knowingly sending child pornography.

During closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Atty. Arnold Huftalen called Bateman, the school’s former drama director, a liar.

Defense lawyer Mark Sullivan attacked Caven’s credibility in his closing arguments. He pointed out the testimony of witnesses who knew Caven in high school and in business and described him as manipulative, shrewd and a liar.

Bateman taught at the academy for 12 years until July, when police searched his home and seized hundreds of tapes, picture books and video equipment. He was arrested July 16, and fired the next day.