The Dutch creator of the "Anna Kournikova" virus, which infected computers worldwide, was sentenced Thursday to 150 hours of community service.

The virus, disguised as a digital photo of the Russian tennis star, e-mailed itself to millions of computers in February, slowing systems and shutting down some servers.

Its creator, a 20-year-old computer-shop employee from the northern Dutch town of Sneek, collected viruses and had by his own admission gathered some 7,200, the court in the city of Leeuwarden said in its verdict.

"The virus he spread caused nuisance, concern and irritation to Internet users worldwide," the court said in its judgment, though it added that the damage was limited.

The man turned himself in to police shortly after creating the virus. In a letter he posted on the Web, he claimed inspiration in equal parts from devotion to the 20-year-old tennis player and from evidence that Internet users were not taking steps to protect themselves from viruses.