A 57-year-old civil servant who put cameras in two women’s bathrooms in Vlissingen town hall has been sentenced to two months’ probation, 240 hours of community service and a fine of €4,000 which will be divided among the victims, Dutch media write.

The man, who was caught out last year when a cleaner discovered a camera in one of the bathrooms, said he filmed women on three occasions and looked at the footage at home. None of the images ended up on the internet. The council fired him and reported him to the police.

Asked to explain his actions the man told the court ‘a woman’s behind is the most beautiful part of her body’.

The public prosecutor said the man should be jailed but the judge deemed this too harsh a measure, saying that the publicity surrounding the case had been punishment enough.