Georgina Harrison vs Stephen Bear: Revenge porn
A recent high profile case involving reality TV stars; Georgina Harrison and Stephen Bear, has highlighted the serious consequences of revenge porn.
What happened?
In August 2020, Georgina and Stephen, who were in a relationship at the time, were filmed in Stephen’s garden, having sex, by CCTV cameras at his property. A couple of months later, Stephen uploaded the CCTV video to an OnlyFans website and then boasted about making £72,000 from subscribers who wanted to view the footage.
Georgina, who had been unaware that she was being filmed, reported Stephen Bear to the police. After an investigation, he was charged with two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs or films and one count of voyeurism.
What is revenge porn?
In 2015, revenge porn was classified as a sexual offence, with a potential prison sentence of up to two years. This offence is defined by the law as the distribution of private explicit images of someone, without the consent of the person depicted, with the intention of causing that individual distress. It is often done maliciously to shame former partners.
The consequences of revenge porn
During the trial held at Chelmsford Crown Court, Stephen denied all charges and claimed that he deleted the footage on the same day and shared it with no one, except Georgina. However, he was subsequently found guilty by the jury of voyeurism and sharing private sexual videos without consent.
In March this year, Stephen Bear was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years. He was also made subject to a restraining order not to contact Georgia Harrison for five years.
The trial and sentence received significant attention, particularly due to the way the defendant presented himself when entering the court. Hannah von Dadelszen, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, stated that Stephen Bear displayed a complete lack of remorse by refusing to take responsibility for his abusive behavior and even attempted to shift blame onto Georgina. “Although she lives a public life, Georgina Harrison has the right to privacy. But that was taken away by Bear to make money in the most egregious way.”
Speaking after the trial, Georgina said “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. 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”.
Last week, on the 26th of July 2023, the High Court made a significant ruling, ordering Stephen Bear to pay £207,900 in damages to Georgia Harrison. This amount stands as the highest sum ever awarded in an image abuse case and is one of the largest awards in the history of privacy claims arising from a single act.
Georgina expressed her profound gratitude to everyone who assisted in supporting her civil claim, which took nearly three years to resolve. Additionally, she announced her intention to donate a portion of the damages to "multiple charities that have helped support me and other victims of image-based sexual abuse".
How can we help?
At Saunders Law, we recognize the gravity of revenge porn as a serious problem that profoundly impacts the lives of people of all ages and genders. You don't have to face it alone; we are here to help.
Our solicitors are highly knowledgeable in this complex area of law and act swiftly and decisively when pursuing legal action. We can offer a multi-disciplinary approach combining the expertise of our Human Rights and Commercial Litigation departments. If you find yourself affected by the concerns raised on this page and want to discuss your legal position in a confidential setting, please don't hesitate to reach out to our experienced professionals.
Call us on 020 7315 4801 or make an enquiry online.