An Accra Circuit Court has flatly rejected actress Akuapem Poloo’s appeal to overturn her conviction.
The Court has ruled that she be sent to prison to serve the remaining 81 days of her jail-term.
Akuapem Poloo, known in private life as Rosemond Alade Brown, has been facing legal woes for months after publishing a nude photo of herself and her son.
Her seven-year-old son was wearing an underwear in the picture she published on social media.
She published the picture on June 30, 2020, to celebrate her son’s birthday but Child Rights International, an organization founded to protect children against abuse, sued her for publishing the photo.
At the start of the trial, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. And subsequently, she was granted bail in the sum of Ghc 100,000 with four sureties, two of whom were to be justified.
But she changed her plea later from not guilty to guilty, leading to her conviction.
It would be recalled that Akuapem Poloo’s lawyers had filed an appeal challenging the decision of the court to hand her a custodial sentence instead of a fine.
Her lawyers had argued that the custodial sentence was harsh.
She had been convicted and sentenced for three charges.
The charges were: 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.
Despite filing an appeal against the sentencing, an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, dismissed her appeal.
The judge dismissed the appeal on ground that the sentencing handed by the trial court was not manifestly excessive.
According to the judge, 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.
Child
The judge has therefore ordered that the actress’ son should be handed over to any competent person in her family to take care of him while she serves her prison sentence.
Press conference
In her first press conference after being released from the Nsawam Prisons months ago, Akuapem Poloo, who is a notorious nudist called on her fellow celebrities who take delight in nudity to dress ‘decently’.
Addressing the media in Accra around 4:00pm on Saturday, April 24, 2021, Akuapem said “I want to say this to my colleagues and the young ones who are coming up. Nudity is not good, we should put a stop to it…Not just taking a picture with your son in that manner, but nudity is not good. Ghanaians we have our norms and culture. Let’s put a stop to it.”
The said press conference per a public notice sighted by African Entertainment, was scheduled to take place at 2:00pm but was delayed until 4:00pm. The media encounter took place on the 4th floor of the Fine Print building.
The press conference came to an abrupt end after Akuapem Poloo burst into tears, apologizing for her action that led an Accra Circuit Court to sentence her to 90-day imprisonment on Friday April 16, 2021.
Akuapem Poloo now has to return to her prison cell for about three months.