Man charged after photoshopping face onto Christ statue

The 23-year-old placed his own face over an image of the Christ Disrobed statue, including with a ring through his septum, and posted it on Instagram last April.

The prosecution case describes the doctored picture as “a disgraceful manipulation of an icon” designed to offend. The accused, Daniel Cristian Serrano, will appear in court in Seville, where he faces a fine of more than €2,000.

But in an interview with local newspaper Diario de Jaen, Mr Serrano said: “It was just a joke, I had no intention of offending anyone.”

He said he was “shocked by the outrage”, adding: “But I decided that I wasn’t going to delete it because I have the right to freedom of speech. Even though I didn’t intend to offend.”