An American man has been jailed for 150 days, handed three years’ probation, 100 hours of community service and a $5,500 (£4,354) fine for deliberately blocking women’s toilets.

35-year-old Patrick D Beeman has apologised for his bizarre crimes, which he told police were driven by strange urges to do odd things like plug toilets with plastic bottles.

Investigations by the Sheboygan, Wisconsin police uncovered around a dozen incidents dating back to April 2017, after a job agency informed them of several toilet-blocking incidents taking place at locations where he was working.

Making a statement reported by the Sheboygan Press during his sentencing, Beeman said: “I need to make things right and pray forgiveness every day.”

Beeman was apprehended and convicted of five counts of criminal damage (seven more were dismissed in June), but the judge decided to hand him a stricter custodial sentence than the 30 days in jail prosecutors requested. Instead, the judge sentenced him to 30 consecutive days for each of the five counts of criminal damage he was found guilty of.

However, Beeman will be part of the ‘Huber’ program, which will allow him to continue working at his current job but is required to report back to jail each day after work.