(NewsNation) — A convicted sex offender in Louisiana has been sentenced to physical and chemical castration as part of a plea deal, according to reports.

The district attorney for Vernon Parish in Louisiana confirmed the man’s sentence to People and local outlet KPLC 7.

On Tuesday, Thomas Allen McCartney, 37, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13. The guilty plea concerns an arrest in 2023 after McCartney was caught “engaging in sexual contact” with a 7-year-old girl, according to reports.

McCartney has a history of child sex abuse, with a conviction for aggravated rape in 2011. KPLC reported that he was also arrested in 2006 and 2010 on sexual abuse charges against minors.

In addition to castration, McCartney’s plea deal includes 40 years in state prison.

“This is a horrific crime that never should have happened,” Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright said in a statement obtained by KPLC. “Thomas McCartney is a predator that needs to be locked away from others in our community.”

In 2024, Louisiana became the first state to allow surgical castration to be used as a punishment for sex crimes against minors. Surgical castration, unlike chemical castration which is achieved via medications which decrease sex drive, is an invasive procedure which can involve removal of the testicles.

“This is a consequence,” Republican state Sen. Valarie Hodges said during a committee hearing on the bill in April 2024, the Associated Press reported. “It’s a step over and beyond just going to jail and getting out.”

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