Reality star Stephen Bear has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after sharing a sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, Georgia Harrison, on OnlyFans without her permission.
The Challenge and Ex on the Beach alum, 33, received his sentence on Friday, according to The Guardian. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to not have any contact with his former co-star ex for five years.
The Revenge Porn Case
In December, Bear was found guilty of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private, sexual photographs and films. During the trial, Harrison said she did not know that she was being filmed when the former couple had sex in Bear's garden on Aug. 2, 2020.
Harrison told the court that she requested Bear not share the 20-minute video captured by CCTV security cameras, but he later posted it on WhatsApp and online. She learned the video was online in early December 2020 and later had to hire someone to remove it from porn sites.
Prosecutor Jacqueline Carey KC said Bear uploaded the footage "either himself or had it uploaded to OnlyFans and profited financially."
However, Bear claimed that he deleted the footage the same day it was captured and never shared it with anyone. He added that he didn't "know of any video being uploaded" after he was asked about the footage being on OnlyFans.
Judge: Bear Exploited Sex Tape for Money
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Christopher Morgan said Bear "wished to exploit the economic value of the recording," adding, "I'm sure that you recognized the enhanced economic value to you by having Georgia Harrison, a well-known reality TV, and social media personality, in the video," per The Telegraph.
Bear, who continues to post explicit footage of himself engaging in sexual acts with his current girlfriend Jessica Smith, made £2,000 (roughly $2,400) from the footage, The Los Angeles Times reported. The judge also pointed out that Harrison suffered "extensive humiliation and embarrassment" because of Bear's actions and lauded her for sharing her story with "dignity and courage."
Harrison: Bear's Sentence 'Sends a Clear Message'
Harrison, 28, shared a statement in court and said she felt "physically sick" and was "crying hysterically for hours" when the video was published online, according to The Telegraph. "It makes me sick to think so many people have watched it."
Harrison that she was "happy and relieved that this matter is finally over" in the wake of the sentencing. "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."
