Lawyer Andrew Kudzo Vortia, counsel for the jailed actress, Rosemond Brown popularly known as Akuapem Poloo has disclosed that the latter was compelled to plead guilty because she did not have a good case.
According to the lawyer, her change of plea of “not guilty” to “guilty” was a mitigating measure to prevent her from being handed a stiffer sentence.
“When we were at the case management case stage, we evaluated all the evidence against her (pictorial) in the witness statement and we realized that we don’t have a good case. So when the case goes through full trial let’s say two or three months and she’s found culpable the sentence will be harsher than being a first-time offender pleading guilty,” he told the media after the judgement.
The popular actress was on Friday, April 16, 2021, sentenced to three months imprisonment by the Circuit Court in Accra for publishing her nude picture taken with her son.
She was sentenced to 90 days on each count, however, the sentence must run concurrently, the court said.
This means she will only serve 90 days jail term which is three months.
The Court presided over by Her Honour Mrs Christiana Cann, said such cases are becoming prevalent in society and institutions including the court must act.
The court said it took into consideration all the pleas for mitigation before arriving at the decision.
EIB Network’s Court Correspondent Murtala Inusah reports that Akuapem Poloo who was sobbing all day broke down in tears in the courtroom when she was sentenced.
Prior to her sentencing, the court said, the result of her pregnancy test was negative.
Background
Akuapem Poloo was on last Wednesday convicted on her own plea by the Circuit Court in Accra after pleading guilty to charges.
She was slapped with three charges including publication of nude materials with her seven-year-old son which she pleaded not guilty when she was first arraigned but changed her plea on Wednesday.
The court presided over by Her Honour Christina court deferred her sentencing to today, April 16, 2021 for her to undergo a pregnancy test to ensure she was not pregnant before her sentencing is passed.
The pregnancy test ordered by the court is a requirement by law to ensure that, before a woman who pleaded guilty in court is sentenced, they should know her status.
She was therefore remanded into custody for the prosecution to take her to any Government hospital to conduct the pregnancy test and produce the results today.
Charges
The outspoken actress is facing 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.
Rosemond who had displayed her naked picture with her son on social media on June 30, 2020 pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Brief facts
Brief facts of the case presented to the 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 took her nude pictures together with her son who was also half-naked and posted same on her Instagram page which went viral on social media.
She told the court 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 Insp. Agartha 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 picture with her son unintentionally.
But, the prosecution held that Rosemond had deliberately posted the nude picture together with her son.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com
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