A Lawrence landlord convicted of spying on tenants was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in jail, to be followed by 18 months probation.

William Lemesany, 49, also was ordered to continue psychological treatment, fined $7,500, told to serve 100 hours community service and prohibited from entering his apartment buildings to do maintenance without supervision.

The sentence was too lenient, according to two former tenants who asked District Judge Jack Murphy to give Lemesany lengthy prison time, despite prosecutors’ recommendation for probation under a plea agreement.

“The state has ignored the extent of this man’s damage,” said Amanda Perdaris, a former tenant. “Thirty-one people came forward to press charges, not three.”

Valerie Bauman, another former tenant, said she recently woke up screaming at a hotel because she saw a light shining from the wall in the dark. She thought it was a peephole; it turned out to be the indicator light on a smoke detector.

Lemesany’s attorney, Michael Riling, said his client had already suffered consequences.

“There’s been an extreme amount of financial loss, this incident has damaged his reputation in the community, he’s lost his marriage, and his children have been greatly embarrassed,” Riling said.

Murphy said his powers of punishment were limited.

“I have to keep in mind what the plea is here,” Murphy said, “and that’s three misdemeanor counts, not felonies.”

Lemesany, meanwhile, offered his first public apology in the matter.

Lemesany was charged with 10 counts in October 2000 after Lawrence Police investigated reports of peepholes in the walls of rooms in Parkway Terrace Apartments, 2340 Murphy Drive.

He pleaded no contest to three of the counts last month in a deal with prosecutors. In October, a civil jury assessed damages totaling $1.29 million on behalf of six former residents who sued Lemesany.

The Journal-World previously published a photo of an individual whom it identified as William Lemesany. That was not William Lemesany. The Journal-World apologizes for the error.