A Florida teacher who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing students offered to get castrated in an effort to avoid being sentenced to prison time.
Mark Lua, 32, made the request of Judge Thomas Dannheisser during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
“My actions were despicable,” Lua said, according to the Pensacola News Journal. “I do believe that punishment is necessary, and I am requesting chemical castration not only as a punishment but as an act of solidarity to show how sorry I am for everything.”
He added, “If your honor is so inclined, I am even willing to undergo physical castration if that way I can stay home and raise my daughter.”
The judge declined the request and sentenced the former English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola to 12 years in state prison, followed by 15 years of probation.
Lua was arrested three different times over allegations that he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old former student, had sex with an underage student, and coerced a different student to send him explicit videos.
He pleaded guilty in October to charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child, unlawful sexual activity with minors, and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with minors.
