Chantel Nunekpeku
An Accra Criminal High Court has adjourned the hearing of one Chantel Nunekpeku, a beautician who has been convicted to 12 months imprisonment but currently on bail pending an appeal against the sentence, to May 26.
The presiding judge, Justice Mrs Merlyn Wood adjourned the case after the state prosecutor informed the court that she has not been able to finish with her written response to the appeal submissions made by Ms Nunekpeku’s lawyers.
The court on Friday, April 30, 2021, afforded the prosecution almost a month to respond to the application made by the appellant.
Meanwhile, Chantel who has been convicted for distributing “nude” pictures of her boyfriend’s ex-lover, Destina Tata, this time around also failed to appear before the court.
Thus, at the last two adjourned dates, convict Chantel’s lawyers told the court that their client was out of the jurisdiction and that the Coronavirus pandemic held her back from appearing before it.
Background
Ms Nunekpeku, after her 12 months sentence in 2018 and subsequent application for bail and granting of same, failed vehemently to file her appeal processes.
The High Court upon prayer by lawyers of Chantel for an extension of time to make the application was granted 21 days to do so and the hearing was then slated to April 30, 2021.
The substance of the issue is that Chantel’s boyfriend, Kayode Kalode is a music producer who happens to be an ex-lover of the complainant in the matter, Destina Tata, whose photo was shopped onto another person’s nude body and posted on social media.
Hence, Chantel and Kalode were accused of photoshopping Tata’s photos and putting the head on someone else nude body and distributing the same on social media.
The beautician in the initial stages of her trial pleaded not guilty to the crime but afterwards changed the plea to guilty, hence a 12-month sentence was handed down to her by the Circuit Court.
Her boy-lover, on the other hand, maintained his plea as not guilty and was admitted to bail in the amount of GH₵10,000.00.
Chantel and Kalode were tried for causing the complainant emotional and psychological trauma, thereby undermining her privacy, dignity, integrity and her worth as a human being.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey