Rosemond Alade Brown, aka, Akuapem Poloo, an actress, who posted her nude picture with her son on Instagram, has been sentenced to 90 days imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Rosemond, soon after the sentence, knelt down and begged the trial judge severally to have mercy on her amidst tears.
“My Lord, Maa, please I beg you,” Rosemond pleaded.
At the last sitting on April 14, this year, Rosemond changed her plea of not guilty to guilty.
The court convicted Rosemond on her own plea, after she was remanded into police custody to undergo a pregnancy test ahead of the sentencing.
The test, according to the court, was negative.
The court sentenced Rosemond to 90 days each on all the three counts of charges.
The sentences, the court said should run concurrently.
The judge, Mrs Christina Cann, in delivering the sentence, noted that apart from cankers such as rape, defilement, among others, the act of posting obscene pictures was becoming rampant.
She said it was time that society upheld societal morals and the court must take a lead in that direction.
The court noted that Rosemond did not respect the right of her son before posting the pictures, adding that it would hand down a sentence that would deter other like-minded persons.
The court said the sentence considered the intrinsic seriousness of the offence, prevalence of the offence, the degree of revulsion of the offence and the gravity of the offence.
It commended Child Rights International, a child focused organization, for bringing such action before the court and urged it to continue to take similar actions to protect other children from all forms of abuses and violence.
Earlier, Mr Andrew K Vortia, defence counsel, prayed the court to consider the plea of the convict for not wasting the court’s time.
According to the counsel, his client was a first offender, a single mother and sole bread winner of her family.
Mr Vortia held that handing a custodial sentence on Rosemond would have effect on her and those who depend on her.
He noted that his client had shown remorse from the beginning of the trial and had also pulled down all articles and materials from the Internet.
Mr Vortia noted that handing down custodial sentence would affect Rosemond’s budding career and recalled all benevolence acts of the convict since 2018 to her Alma mater and other institutions.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewaa, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the accused was a first time offender and a single mother.
According to her, the court should also consider a non-custodial sentence when passing sentence.
Kazia Kenneth Azuma and two other lawyers, who acted as friends of the court, also prayed the court to have mercy on Rosemond.
Rosemond brought before the court on charges of publication of obscene materials, engaging in domestic violence namely, 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.
The facts as narrated by prosecution led by Chief Inspector Agartha Asantewaa, earlier, were that the complainant, Mr Bright K. Appiah, was the Director of Child Rights International Ghana.
On June 30, last year, the prosecution said Rosemond celebrated her son’s sevennth birthday and 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.
It said the pictures attracted comments, adding, that the behaviour of the accused person undermined the dignity of her seven-year old son, among others.
The prosecution said the complainant petitioned the Director-General CID and the matter was referred to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Rosemond, prosecution said, was arrested and in her caution statement, admitted posting the nude picture with her son unintentionally.
A write up accompanying the picture read: “I am naked in front of you because this is how naked I was, giving birth to you, so in case you find me lying somewhere don’t pass by, but see me as your mom who brought you to life.”
The prosecution held that Rosemond deliberately posted the pictures.
GNA
