Actress Akuapem Poloo has been slapped with a GHC 12,000 by the Court of Appeal in Accra to reverse an earlier 90 day jail term yesterday.
This was after the legal team of Akuapem Poloo, known in real life as Rosemond Alade Brown, an entertainer and socialite, filed a notice of appeal to challenge the earlier sentence.
The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, had on December 1, this year dismissed the actress’s appeal, seeking a non-custodial sentence instead of a custodial sentence and ruled that the 90 days custodial sentence imposed on her by a circuit court was not harsh.
However, upon an appeal for a review of the earlier ruling of Court of Appeal, the same judge reversed the custodial sentence and rather imposed the fine.
The convict was jailed 90 days, equivalent to three months by an Accra Circuit Court after she was charged with three counts; publication of obscene materials, engaging in domestic violence and engaging in conduct that undermines another person’s privacy or integrity.
Rosemond who had displayed her naked picture with her son on social media on June 30, 2020, earlier pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but later changed her plea to being guilty before her conviction.
The Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mrs Christiana Cann said it took into consideration the entire plea for mitigation before arriving at the decision.
Brief facts of the case presented to the Circuit Court by the prosecution led by Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewaa were that the complainant is Bright K. Appiah, the Director of Child Rights International Ghana.
According to the prosecution, on June 30, 2020, the accused person celebrated her son’s seventh birthday and she posed naked with her son to take photographs which went viral after she posted and shared them on her social media handles.
The court heard that the pictures attracted comments, adding that the behaviour of the accused person was likely to detract from the dignity of her seven-year-old son among others.
Chief Inspector Asantewaa told the court that the complainant petitioned the Director-General, Criminal Investigations Directorate and the matter was referred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit.
Akuapem Poloo, she said, was arrested and in her caution statement admitted posting the nude pictures with her son unintentionally.
But, the prosecution held that Rosemond had deliberately posted the nude pictures.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
