Jailing Akuapem Poloo won’t solve nudity posts on social media – Reggie Rockstone

Highlife Grandpapa, Reginald Yaw Asante Ossei popularly known as Reggie Rockstone is not happy about the 90-day jail term handed over to social media sensation, Rosemond Brown following her conviction on charges of publication of obscene material and domestic violence.

To him, the judgement is harsh based on the fact that she’s a first-time offender, which she should have been given a more lenient custodial sentence for the sake of her seven-year-old son.

Akuapem Poloo was found guilty of posting a nude photo of herself and her seven-year-old son on June 30, 2020, his birthday.

She pleaded guilty to all three charges and was convicted on her own plea by the court though she had initially pleaded not guilty.

She was handed her sentence following her conviction on charges of publication of obscene material and domestic violence by an Accra circuit court last Friday, April 16, 2021.

The judge, Christina Cann, bemoaned the spate of nudity on Ghanaian social media maintaining that the punishment meted out to Akuapem Polo must serve as a deterrent to others.

Reacting to this in an interview on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Reggie expressed discontent on the court’s ruling stating that the separation between the mother and the child “doesn’t sit well with him.”

“First of all, I’m human – that whole celebrity tag does not move me. I have children, I’m a parent, I actually have daughters, and a son. I don’t know much about her, we were not even that close but I’m against the separation of a single mother from her only son for 90 days. I remember the first day I saw the picture, I was curious and asked myself, why are they blowing it out of proportion but I let it slide.

“I most often fight for the under privileged person, that’s me. All these years, she has said she does all these things just to feed her son. When you take a mother away from the child especially when she’s the breadwinner, it’s not okay – that’s my point. We are Africans, we are one family. Let’s not be hypocritical here, that picture is no different from what we realized from Adam and Eve in the garden naked. That’s her kid, she won’t harm the child for  any reason”

According to him, “There’s so much going on in the country, jailing her won’t solve anything. There are more other vital things we need to focus on than this, probably if it was someone else or close to power, the person would have gone free. So I’m just expressing myself like any other who wants to express their selves. When the news broke about her 90 days jail term, it broke my heart. My eyes got wet, that’s how I felt. A fine or a community service would have just been alright than this sentence, it’s unfair.”

Meanwhile, the actress’ lawyers plan to appeal the ruling and make a mitigation plea to ask for a more lenient punishment.

Speaking to the media, her lead counsel, Andrew Vortia said appealing the ruling “is an option for us…For me, I want to go for an appeal.”

“I have written for the judgment. If I have it by the close of the day, by 9 am on Monday [April 19] I will file an appeal,” he told the press.