COP SENTENCED FOR POSTING PHOTO OF HITLER'S FAVOURITE MEAL

An Austrian police officer received a suspended prison sentence of 10 months for posting the apparent favourite food of Adolf Hitler.

The man, who has not been identified, shared the photograph on Facebook last year, on April 20, Hitler's birthdate.

“Lunch today! Egg dumplings with green salad!” the man posted, together with a photo. “Blondi is missing,” one of the defendant's friends wrote, allegedly in reference to Hitler's dog, according to ORF, an Austrian public broadcaster.

Unless he breaks the conditions of his sentence, the suspended sentence means the man won't actually have to spend time in prison.

Several outlets at the time reported that the commenter and the officer both resigned as members of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) after the posts were made.

The defence's argument that the photo was a coincidence, and that “Blondi” was in reference to a blond beer, failed to convince the jury.

According to a 2016 report by Vice Germany, the dish may be used as a thinly veiled code by neo-nazis.

The police officer was found guilty by a vote of five to three, although the conviction could change, the broadcaster reported. He was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence and fined $9,500 at a regional court in Eisenstadt, eastern Austria. It's unclear whether he will exercise his option to appeal.

The man was charged under the Verbotsgesetz 1947, also known as the Prohibition Act 1947, which aims to put an end to Nazi propaganda.