A reality TV star wanted to “exploit the economic value” of a sex tape he released of his ex-girlfriend, a judge said as he was jailed for revenge porn.
Stephen Bear, an ex-roofer who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, was handed a 21-month sentence for sharing a private video of him having sex with Georgia Harrison on his OnlyFans website.
The 33-year-old and 28-year-old Ms Harrison were captured having sex on CCTV cameras in Bear’s garden on Aug 2 2020.
Ms Harrison said that when Bear showed her the footage she told him “never to send” it to anyone and “made it plain how upset she would be if he did”, the prosecutor said.
The complainant said that she saw Bear send the footage to someone on WhatsApp later that day, and later that year she was made aware that it was circulating online.
Judge Christopher Morgan said during sentencing that the defendant “wished to exploit the economic value of the recording” of Bear and Ms Harrison having sex.
“I’m sure that you recognised the enhanced economic value to you by having Georgia Harrison, a well-known reality TV and social media personality, in the video,” the judge said.
He said Bear caused Ms Harrison “extensive humiliation and embarrassment”.
Speaking outside court, Ms Harrison said she was “happy and relieved that this matter is finally over”.
“Today’s 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.
“I want to let all other victims of this crime know that I stand in solidarity with them and I have absolutely no regrets on waiving my anonymity.
“I hope that this puts anyone off committing this sort of crime and I hope for anyone else who has been [a] victim of it [that] it gives them some sort of justice.”
Bear had attended his trial in a hired chauffeur-driven white Rolls-Royce wearing a black fur jacket and sunglasses and was accompanied by his girlfriend, Jessica Smith.
Prosecutor Jacqueline Carey described this as “turning up in, on any view, an ostentatious manner”, adding it was a “compelling indication the defendant shows no remorse”.
In a statement read to the court, Ms Harrison said she felt “physically sick” when the video was shared and was “crying hysterically for hours”.
“It makes me sick to think so many people have watched it,” she said.
She said her earnings had “dropped dramatically compared with before” and she had lost contracts.
Gemma Rose, mitigating, said that Bear, who is of previous good character, had been assessed as having ADHD and mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.
“He told me he wants to go back to what he did before, to roofing, he said he wants a fresh start,” she said.
The judge praised Ms Harrison for speaking with “dignity and courage”.
