Stephen Bear Has Been Jailed for 21 Months for Sharing Sex Video Without Consent
Reality TV regular, Stephen Bear, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for sharing a private video of him having sex with former "Love Island" star Georgia Harrison on Only Fans. According to the BBC, the judge declared that 33-year-old Bear had caused "extensive humiliation and embarrassment" to Harrison.
The shamed "Celebrity Big Brother" winner was found guilty in December of voyeurism and disclosing private, sexual photographs and films. The Crown Prosecution Service said he had shown "a complete lack of remorse", according to the BBC, and was filmed posing for selfies outside Chelmsford Crown Court ahead of his sentencing on 3 March.
Harrison has waived her right to anonymity after the video of her having sex with ex-boyfriend Bear, captured on CCTV cameras in his garden in Loughton, Essex, was shared online without her consent in August 2020. When Bear showed her the footage, she asked him never to send it to anyone, only to discover he had sent it via WhatsApp to someone later that day. She was then notified of it circulating online weeks later.
As well as his 21 months in prison, Bear was given a restraining order to not contact Harrison for five years, ordered to sign the sex offenders register, and will need to disclose his whereabouts to the police for 10 years.
After Bear's sentencing, Hannah von Dadelszen, the deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS East of England, said she hoped the case would encourage other victims to come forward. "I want to commend Georgia Harrison for the bravery and determination she has shown throughout this case," she said, as per The Guardian. "Although she lives a public life, Georgia Harrison has the right to privacy. But that was taken away by Bear to make money in the most egregious way. Whether or not sex is consensual, it is a crime to share or threaten to share sexual images without consent to cause distress. This is a serious offence which has a lifelong impact on victims. Those like Bear who use devices to share photos or videos or threaten to do so can expect to be prosecuted."
