A political blogger in the US state of Ohio has been convicted for sending a state senator an obscene image of the cartoon ogre Shrek with his penis exposed. DJ Byrnes, who runs The Rooster, a Substack newsletter, sent messages to Jerry Cirino, a Republican who represents Ohio’s 18th district. Cirino called the Shrek image “offensive” and “pornographic,” and characterised it as “the last straw” after an accumulation of criticism and vitriol he’d received while in office.

Byrnes’ arrest report refers to the image of Shrek as “fully nude with an exposed and erect humanlike penis engaged in an act of masturbation, according to a report in Axios.

The image was sent to Cirino on May 6, who forwarded it to Kirtland Police Chief Jeremy Fisher, saying Brynes has “harassed” him in the past and that he didn’t want to see the “pornographic” image of Shrek. Apart from the image, Byrnes referred to Cirino as ‘young Mussolini,’ a nickname that he often used to target the politician.

“I am officially filing a complaint and am asking that the Kirtland Police Department take appropriate actions since this occurred in Kirtland where I live,” Cirino wrote.

“I would like this harassment to stop immediately and I would like charges filed against the individual.”

Also Read | Peruvian Politician Named Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores Wins Mayoral Election

Cirino said the image crossed the line between political speech and harassment, prompting him to take legal action.

“This wasn’t a free speech issue; this was a harassment statute that I believed he was in violation of. There is a line to be drawn between normalized interaction on issues and policy and votes that allow for agreement and disagreement and lots of debate on a professional basis. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed,” he said.

Ultimately, a jury found Byrnes guilty of one count of telecommunications harassment, and a judge fined him $200 while also warning him against further harassment of Cirino