Ghanaian actress and social media sensation, Rosemond Brown, popularly known as Akuapem Poloo, could be jailed for a maximum of three years when the Accra Circuit Court sits on Friday.
An Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mrs. Christiana Cann, convicted the social media star after she pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, for posting obscene photos of herself and her seven-year-old son in June last year.
According to private legal practitioner, Bernard Owiredu Donkor, Akuapem Poloo can only face a maximum sentence of three years as her offence was a misdemeanour.
He added that her lawyers could argue to have her sentence reduced.
Rosemond Brown was remanded into police custody to enable her undergo a pregnancy test ahead of her sentencing on Friday, April 16, 2021.
According to Mr. Owiredu Donkor, in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, said the court’s order for a pregnancy test on the convict suggests that she will be handed a custodial sentence.
“The offence she was charged with is a misdemeanour, and with a misdemeanour, you could be fined, you could be cautioned, and you could go a for a custodial sentence. But when a judge directs that you take a pregnancy test, as they do for female convicts, it means that we are in for a custodial sentence because the idea is that you don’t put a pregnant woman in jail,” he said.
He added that Akuapem Poloo’s lawyers will need to push forward a strong case to emphasize the adverse impact it would have on her son if she is put in jail and if the judge finds reason in the argument, she could reduce the sentence.
“Counsel is supposed to make a submission on behalf of the convict, which we call a plea of litigation, for the court to avert its mind to certain circumstances of the convicted person…If the judge finds that the plea for mitigation is something that she could consider, it could come in to mitigate the sentence.”
“For misdemeanours, it is between a caution and a maximum of 3 years…Looking at the circumstances we have right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is given a custodial sentence, and it could be one day to three years,” the lawyer said.
Background
On June 30, 2020, Rosemond celebrated her son’s seventh birthday by sharing nude pictures of the pair together on her Instagram page, which went viral on social media.
The pictures attracted comments which accused her of undermining the dignity of her seven-year-old son, among other things.
Mr. Bright K. Appiah, who is the Director of Child Rights International Ghana, petitioned the Director-General of CID, and the matter was referred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Rosemond, the prosecution said, was arrested, and in her caution statement, admitted posting the nude picture with her son but said she did so unintentionally.
The prosecution held that Rosemond deliberately posted the pictures on social media.
She was convicted by the Accra Circuit Court on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty in court.
The court subsequently ordered her to undergo a pregnancy test and deferred her sentencing to Friday, April 16, 2021.
