Jailed reality TV star Stephen Bear is ordered to pay £207,000 to Georgia Harrison for posting revenge porn sex tape
- Stephen Bear, 33, has been ordered to pay £207,000 to Georgia Harrison
- Bear was jailed after secretly filming their encounter and sharing it on Onlyfans
Jailed former reality TV star Stephen Bear has been ordered to pay out over £200,000 in damages to former girlfriend Georgia Harrison in one of the highest ever payouts in breach of privacy cases.
Bear, 33, was sentenced to 21 months in jail in March after he secretly filmed a sexual encounter with Ms Harrison on CCTV in his garden and then uploaded it online.
He shared the secret clip with friends, ignoring former The Only Way is Essex star Ms Harrison’s pleas to delete the video before publishing it on his Onlyfans account.
Ms Harrison, 28, who waived her anonymity, has become a campaigner calling for tougher measures against those who share explicit content without consent.
She told the High Court today that the leaked video was her ‘worst nightmare’.
Stephen Bear, 33, was sentenced to 21 months in jail in March after surreptitiously filming his encounter with Georgia Harrison on CCTV in his garden and then uploading it on Onlyfans
Former The Only Way is Essex star Georgia Harrison, 28, told the High Court that the making and sharing of the sex video was her ‘worst nightmare’
The disgraced Celebrity Big Brother contestant shared a sex tape of 28-year-old Ms Harrison on adult website OnlyFans and made £2,000 from it
Master Victoria McCloud today ruled Bear must pay £207,900 in damages to Ms Harrison,
This is the highest sum to be awarded in an image abuse case and one of the highest awards of all time in a privacy claim arising out of a single act.
READ MORE: Georgia Harrison will open up about revenge porn ordeal in a new ITV documentary
Ms Harrison said: ‘I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has helped support my civil claim, which after almost three years has finally been settled.’
The judge said it was a ‘gross act of violation by a man towards a woman’ through use of the internet, The Evening Standard reports.
She added: ‘It was consensual sex but it certainly wasn’t consensual filming, and it was deeply violating.’
She went on to castigate Bear, who she said had gaslighted Ms Harrison by suggesting she was also responsible for the leaked video.
Commentators say he has largely ignored the civil proceedings , although he has attempted to sell a property under his control in the last few days.
Instead Bear, who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, had used his notoriety to launch a porn career, which came to a juddering halt once he was jailed, apparently much to his surprise.
A source close to Bear said he was ‘completely unprepared’ for being placed behind bars, believing he would be spared a prison sentence if convicted.
The insider told The Sun: ‘He is at his lowest ebb and has been crying for days. He never expected he would be jailed and is completely unprepared.
‘Whatever anyone thinks about him, right now he is a broken man and feels awful for putting his family through this.
‘His family members are very concerned for his wellbeing. It’s hard for them to see him suffer like this alone
In the weeks after Bear’s conviction, television personality Ms Harrison, 28, announced her plans to leave the ‘negative energy’ of her experience with Bear in the past, and head off to live in Los Angeles if she is able to secure a visa.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: ‘I was meant to live in the sun, being in the cold/rain makes me feel s**t lol so if I could sort my visa 100 per cent I would be living in LA right now.
Leaving the past in the past: Georgia Harrison, 28, is hoping to pursue her dream of moving to California in a bid to put her legal battle with Stephen Bear behind her
New start: Television personality Georgia is hoping to leave the ‘negative energy’ of her experience with Stephen in the past, and head off to live in Los Angeles
‘I miss my friends there, I love all of the healthy activities, the excitement, the enthusiasm.
‘I’m such an empath and I take on a lot of negative energy in the UK whereas the US has the opposite effect on me.’
READ MORE: ‘It’s a vindication of what I’ve been through’: Georgia Harrison tells of her ‘relief’ as shamed reality star ex Stephen Bear is jailed
Bear was convicted in March of voyeurism and disclosing private, sexual photographs after a jury convicted him.
His initial encounter with Ms Harrison took place on August 2, 2020, and he uploaded the secret video to Onlyfans on November 8 that year – later boasting he had made £72,000 from subscribers as a result.
‘This case is the most serious single infringement of privacy rights that has ever come before this court by way of a damages claim’, said barrister Gervase de Wilde, representing Ms Harrison.
On March 3, Bear was jailed for 21 months and given a restraining order not to contact his Ms Harrison – but showed no remorse as he smiled and joked outside court and sung to reporters.
He was earlier convicted of sharing a sex tape of Ms Harrison, 28, on adult website OnlyFans and WhatsApp after footage of the then couple was captured on CCTV cameras in his garden on August 2, 2020.
Ms Harrison, who has appeared on Love Island, was devastated by the tape and a judge said she suffered ‘extensive humiliation and embarrassment’ at the hands of her former partner .
But as the disgraced Celebrity Big Brother contestant was led to the cells, he was heard saying: ‘Have a good evening, enjoy your weekends everyone.’
He had earlier appeared relaxed when he arrived at the court in the morning with his current lover, Jessica Smith – who confirmed she would not be dumping the convicted sex offender.
Despite his conviction and sentencing, Ms Smith has vowed to remain at Bear’s side ‘through thick and thin’ as she claimed he did not receive a ‘fair trial’.
Despite his conviction and sentencing, Jessica Smith (left) has vowed to remain at Bear’s (right) side ‘through thick and thin’ as she claimed he did not receive a ‘fair trial’
She said that people would ‘obviously wouldn’t understand that if you didn’t have a partner who was in prison’
I swear im gonna look like a fruit cake when he receives it all 🥲 cant wait to see himm tho 🥺 #fyp #foryoupage #foryou
She said that people would ‘obviously wouldn’t understand that if you didn’t have a partner who was in prison’.
Ms Smith, 24, has her own OnlyFans where she posts explicit content.
She also appeared on Bear’s own account – which will presumably now be on pause.
Bear proposed to her after he had been found guilty of revenge porn, during a whirlwind trip to Paris.
Ms Harrison, who has appeared on The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island, has waived her right to anonymity and insisted she stands in solidarity with other victims of revenge porn.
Conservative former minister Vicky Ford raised the case as she delivered a speech to the House of Commons during the International Women’s Day debate in March.
The Chelmsford MP said: ‘The next is the abhorrent Stephen Bear, a violent, abusive, misogynistic man who has just been sent to jail for revenge pornography and long may he stay there.’
A shout of ‘hear, hear’ was heard from Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones (Pontypridd).
Ms Ford added: ‘So much praise must go to the brave Georgia Harrison who was determined to see him stand trial for what he has done.’
Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear pictured arriving at Chelmsford Crown Court for sentencing
On the first day of trial, Bear (pictured) wore a pink suit with a large black fur jacket and sunglasses
In a black coat and dark sunglasses, Bear waved and sang to journalists before posing for selfies with a fan. He moaned about being convicted, saying his trial was ‘not fair’.
READ MORE: Stephen Bear ‘locked Georgia Harrison out of hotel room while he had sex with someone else’ as she tells revenge porn trial ‘he hung me on the wall naked for millions to see, no other woman should go through that’
Bear also reportedly made unfounded claims about members of the jury outside court prior to the sentencing.
It followed earlier appearances at court throughout his trial in which he dressed in a variety of gaudy suits and coats, flourishing a gold or silver cane and posing outside puffing on a cigar.
Even prior to the commencement of proceedings, Bear posted a clip to his site depicting a sex act with his current partner Jessica Smith, who has her own OnlyFans site and around 1million followers on Instagram.
On the first day of trial, Bear wore a pink suit, black fur jacket and sunglasses.
During proceedings, his Twitter account posted a ‘50% off’ deal for his adult website alongside a photo of him arriving at court with Ms Smith.
His Twitter account describes him as an ‘international playboy’ and ‘self-made billionaire’.
And it was not the first time that the Ex On The Beach star’s social media account had made reference to the court case taking place.
Before the trial, a poll on Bear’s Twitter account asked his followers ‘What colour suit should I wear to court on Tuesday (December 6)?’
Most of the votes were for ‘pink’, and the account later posted a short video of Bear, apparently inside a vehicle and wearing the pink suit that he wore on the first day of his trial.
Convicted Stephen Bear posed for photos with a fan as he arrived at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday for sentencing
Stephen Bear is quizzed by the press as he arrived at Chelmsford Crown Court for his sentencing hearing on Friday
Stephen Bear arrives for his sentencing hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court and makes a ‘peace sign’ to photographers. He is pictured with fiancé Jessica Smith
In the clip he gave a thumbs up, and text over the video said that ‘pink won the vote’. The post was captioned ‘keeping it low key’, with a smiling tongue out emoji, and a paw prints emoji.
‘Relieved’ Georgia said her nightmare was finally over after Stephen Bear was jailed
Georgia Harrison told of her relief at Stephen Bear’s prison sentence and said felt ‘vindicated’.
‘[The] sentence is a vindication of what I’ve been put through and sends a clear message that the police and the courts take this matter very seriously,’ she said in statement outside Chelmsford Crown Court.
‘I want to let all other victims of this crime know that I stand in solidarity with them and I have absolutely no regrets in waiving my anonymity.
‘I hope that this puts anyone off committing this sort of crime and I hope for anyone else who’s been a victim of it gives them some sort of justice.’
Later in the trial, Bear’s account posted a different video clip of him arriving at court with a caption over the footage reading ‘Never give up’.
His self-centred nature was explained by Jacqueline Carey KC, prosecuting, in a damning assessment.
In her closing speech to the jury, she said: ‘If it gets him fame, money, notoriety or trending on Twitter he will say whatever he wants, he will do whatever he wants and distribute whatever he wants.’
She added: ‘We are not asking you to convict Stephen Bear because he sleeps with women and doesn’t call them back. As ungentlemanly as it is, that is not what he is charged with.
‘He is not charged with being a self-obsessed show-off.’
Essex Police also showed its contentment in a tweet poking fun at the convicted sex offender following the sentencing.
The force said: ‘Stephen Bear has been jailed following work from specialist domestic abuse officers. We don’t tolerate this behaviour in Essex. If you are acting in an abusive way,
‘#Reflect on how to change.’
The tweet was posted with the ‘how it started’ and ‘how it’s going’ meme, showing Bear outside court with a second image of a police van taking him to prison.
Bear first appeared on the nation’s TV screens as an unknown 11 years ago and has since never been far from controversy.
Bear was arrested by police as he arrived in Heathrow. He has now been jailed for posting the sex tape of his former girlfriend on OnlyFans
Bear (pictured) told journalists he had not received a ‘fair trial’ as he arrived in Chelmsford to be sentenced
Aside from his on-screen antics in reality shows such as Shipwrecked, Ex-On the Beach and The Challenge, designer-clad jack-the-lad Bear’s varied love life has ensured him more than his share of publicity.
He has had strings of glamorous partners, many of whom have rarely hung around long due to his serial cheating.
His biggest claim to fame was winning 2016 Celebrity Big Brother which allowed him to cash in on his fame to the tune of £1million with personal appearances and even a biography.
But in recent years, his TV career has been largely on the slide and he decided to reinvent himself as a wannabe porn star.
No doubt the ever-optimistic Bear will see his jail term as more of a marketing tool, hoping his notoriety will only boost the sales of his online sex videos still further.
His own defence barrister Gemma Rose certainly didn’t sound like much of a fan when she told the jury: ‘You may not agree with Mr Bear’s views or his work online but this is not a court of morals.’
Bear impressed the producers of a show called Shipwrecked in 2011 with his good looks and brash cockney geezer persona.
Bear (pictured on December 6) denied all charges, but a jury found him guilty by unanimous verdicts of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. He was found guilty by a majority verdict of 10 jurors to two of voyeurism
During his trial, Bear’s Twitter account posted a ‘50% off’ deal for his adult entertainment website alongside a photo of him arriving at court accompanied by his girlfriend Jessica Smith
Before the trial, a poll on Bear’s Twitter account asked his followers ‘What colour suit should I wear to court on Tuesday [December 6]?’ Most of the votes were for ‘pink’, and the account later posted a short video of Bear, apparently inside a vehicle and wearing the pink suit that he wore on the first day of his trial
Heavily tattooed Bear’s appearance didn’t lead to much TV work and he disappeared from view.
But in 2015 he was chosen to appear in the reality series Ex-On the Beach where he starred alongside his ex-girlfriend Connie Wiltshire.
The following year, he entered Celebrity Big Brother, proving to be his launching pad and he went on to win the show in 2016.
Bear landed another show called ‘Just the Tattoo of Us’ alongside former Geordie Shore regular Charlotte Crosby.
Further work followed in the shape of three versions of ITV reality show ‘The Challenge.’
Bolstered by his new-found fame Bear released an autobiography called Bear’s Necessities: A Simple Guide to Life.
The book mostly gave advice on how people could become reality stars.
But Bear has now been handed a 21-month prison stint for voyeurism and of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.
The reality star was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register and will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years.
Ms Harrison said Bear’s actions turned her from a ‘happy-go-lucky’ person to someone who suffers panic attacks.
The reality TV star suffered from so many attacks in the Christmas following the video’s release that she had been kept in hospital for most of the festive period.
She added: ‘It’s my worst nightmare that any photo that should have been kept private would go public.
‘When Stephen Bear filmed me without telling me it affected how I trust people. When I first saw the screenshot I felt physically sick.’
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