Akuapem Poloo To Spend Christmas In Prison
Convicted actress and social media personality, Rosemond Alade Brown, aka Akuapem Poloo, is going back to prison to finish her 90-day jail term after an Accra High Court dismissed her appeal.
The controversial actress was handed the prison sentence by an Accra Circuit Court for publishing a nude picture of herself taken with her seven-year-old son who was only wearing an underwear.
Her lawyer filed an appeal challenging the decision of the court to hand her a custodial sentence instead of a fine, arguing that the sentence was harsh.
Akuapem Poloo was convicted and sentenced for three charges of publication of obscene materials, engaging in domestic violence, a conduct that in any way undermines another person’s privacy or integrity and engaging in domestic violence namely conduct that in any way detracts or is likely to detract from another person’s dignity and worth as a human being.
She has since filed an appeal against the sentencing as well as a bail pending the appeal which was granted by the court.
But an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey in her judgement on the appeal dismissed it on ground that the sentencing handed by the trial court was not manifestly excessive.
She said the Court will not interfere with the sentencing given by the Circuit Court which was to serve as deterrent to other parents who may have the intention of doing a similar thing.
Justice Artyeetey ordered that Akuapem Polooe’s child should be given to any competent person in her family to take care of while the convicted actress serves her prison term.
Akuapem Poloo was dragged to court after she had displayed her naked picture with her son on social media on June 30, 2020, to celebrate the boy’s birthday.
She initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with four sureties, two of who must be justified.
She was convicted after she changed her plea from not guilty at the commencement of the case, to guilty midway into the trial.
The court, presided over by Her Honour Christiana Cann, in sentencing her took into consideration the aggravating facts, intrinsic seriousness of the offence, gravity, prevalence and premeditation with which she committed the offence as pushed by the prosecution.
The court also took into consideration the mitigating factors which included pleading guilty simplicita, being a single parent and the convict’s show of remorse.
The presiding judge, however, went on to express concern about the sudden increase in the abuse of children in the country.
The court in giving its reasons to buttress the sentence, held the view that the action of the accused did not only infringe on the rights of the child, but morally corrupted those who saw the post.
