Rosemond Brown popularly referred to as Akuapem Poloo exposed her son to danger when she posted a photo of herself naked, standing before the semi-naked child in a 2020 birthday celebration.
It is that Instagram post that led to her conviction and the handing down of a 90-day sentence on three charges by an Accra Circuit Court late last week.
According to human rights lawyer and Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, Poloo’s post served her artistic views and perspectives but in equal measure, exposed the son to several dangers.
“The social media platform has been abused by many and I agree that what Akuapem Poloo did exposed the child to several dangers.
“And when you look at the Children’s Act, Domestic Violence Act, the best interest and welfare of the child was never served by that picture, it only served her artistic mind of telling a story of a mother and a child in a naked way looking at each other and asking the child not to be ashamed of her and to always remember that she is the mother.
“That was a beautiful story that Akuapem Poloo told and that picture told that story, unfortunately, it did not protect the interest of the child under those circumstances,” Sosu told GhanaWeb in an exclusive interview.
The Madina MP shared a wide range of legal views on the Poloo issue when he appeared on GhanaWeb’s weekly entertainment show ‘Bloggers Forum.’
Among other issues that he addressed, he told show host Abrantepa that Akuapem Poloo willingly pleading guilty and by that, saving the state time and resources for prosecution had to come with some mitigation, especially as the actress had shown remorse since the photo went viral.
Sosu also advanced the increasingly popular argument that the court should have given the convict a fine or blended a fine and a less harsh custodial sentence.
Background
Akuapem Poloo was last Wednesday convicted on her own plea by the Circuit Court in Accra after pleading guilty to three charges.
She was charged with the publication of nude pictures with her seven-year-old son. She changed her not guilty plea to guilty before being convicted.
She was sentenced to 90 days on each count but the court said, the sentence must run concurrently, which means she will only serve a 90-day jail term.
The Court presided over by Her Honour Mrs Christina Cann, said such cases are becoming prevalent in society, and institutions including the court must act.
The court said it took into consideration all mitigation pleas before arriving at the decision.
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