Actress and social media influencer, Akuapem Poloo could be jailed for a maximum three years, private legal practitioner Bernard Owiredu Donkor has said.
Speaking on Citi FM, he noted that Poloo’s offence is classified as misdemeanour and that a strong case built from her lawyers could earn her a reduced sentence.
He argued that with the judge’s decision to order a pregnancy test for Akuapem Poloo, it could mean that she’s likely to be thrown behind bars.
“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 noted that it beholds on the lawyers of Akuapem Poloo to defend her case and prove to the judge why she should be given lesser jail term.
“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.
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
