Chantel Nunekpeku
An Accra High Court will on October 13, deliver judgement in a case in which a beautician who was jailed over fake nude pictures failed to file her appeal processes.
The Court had earlier on given Chantel Nunekpeku , the beautician who was jailed over the distribution of fake nude pictures of an actress, 21 days to file her appeal processes before it.
She traveled outside the country after a High Court had granted her bail pending appeal and has since not returned to Ghana.
An Accra Circuit Court in 2018 presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku sentenced Chantel to 12 months imprisonment for having doctored and distributed the nude images of her boyfriend’s former girlfriend.
This was after Chantel had changed her plea from not guilty to guilty.
Chantel’s boyfriend Kayode Kalode, a music producer, had pleaded not guilty before the Circuit Court and he was on a GH¢10,000.00 bail.
Chantel, after her conviction filed for bail pending the hearing of her appeal at the High Court and same was granted.
At the High Court on Tuesday March 30, 2021, lawyer for Chantel informed that his client was out of the jurisdiction and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she has not returned to Ghana.
The High Court however ordered Chantel’s lawyer to file the appeal processes within 21 days so that the case could be heard.
After several hearings, the High Court fixed October 13 to decide on the fate of the beautician’s appeal processes.
The two (Kalode and Chantel) are said to have photoshopped the complainant’s pictures onto somebody’s nude body.
They were variously charged with offences relating to obscenity, domestic violence, emotional and psychological trauma.
The case presented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Agnes Boafo disclosed that in 2018, Destina Tata, the complainant resided at Awoshie in Accra, whiles Chantel and Kolade who were in an amorous relationship resided at Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra.
The prosecution said the complainant was an ex-girlfriend of Kalode.
According to the Prosecution, on January 23, 2018, Chantel took the pictures of the complainant which she uploaded from social media and photo shopped them with somebody’s nude pictures and created the impression that the pictures were that of the complainant.
Prosecution said the pictures were then posted on Instagram, attached with the complainant’s name which went viral.
The act, according to the prosecution, caused the complainant emotional and psychological trauma thereby undermining her integrity, privacy, dignity and her worth as a human being.
According to prosecution, the complainant reported the case to the Police and Chantel and Kalode were arrested.
He said during interrogation that Chantel admitted sending photo shopped nude pictures of the complainant on to social media and that she did that out of jealousy.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey