A 62-year-old man in the US state of Ohio has been given a rather unusual punishment, after a judge ordered him to hold up a sign by a busy road that says 'I am a bully'.

Edmond Aviv was sentenced to wear the sign for bullying a neighbour, whose husband suffers from dementia, and her seven children, several of whom have disabilities, over a period of 15 years. Victim Mike Prugh described the harassment.

"You wonder every time you walk outside, you turn to your left to see if your neighbour is there spitting, yelling, screaming at you and you don't know why."

The sign reads: "I am a bully. I pick on children that are disabled, and I am intolerant of those that are different from myself. My actions do not reflect an appreciation for the diverse South Euclid community that I live in."

Judge Gayle Williams-Byers also sentenced Aviv to 15 days in jail, seven months' probation, 100 hours of community service, anger management classes and mental-health counselling.

"I would hope that's what's been achieved here is finally the modicum of justice that they had been hoping for for quite some time," said Williams-Byers.

On top of all that, Aviv must also publish a letter of apology to Prugh in a local newspaper.

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