Georgia Harrison shares statement after Stephen Bear found guilty in sex tape trial
Georgia Harrison has shared a powerful statement about the impact her ex-partner Stephen Bear's actions have had on her after he was found guilty.
Bear, 32, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court today (13 December) where the jury gave unanimous verdicts on the two counts of disclosing private sexual images and a majority verdict of 10-2 on the count of voyeurism.
The verdict arrives after Harrison, 27 — who has waived her right to anonymity — accused Bear of covertly filming them having sex when they were in a relationship and showing the tape to his friends.
He was also accused of sharing the CCTV video on his OnlyFans account without her permission.
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The former Big Brother star was arrested in January 2021 but had been out on bail. He will be sentenced in the same court on 31 January next year.
Harrison, who rose to fame on Love Island, told the court that she had never consented to being recorded while she had consensual sex with Bear and that she hadn’t given permission for it to be shared online.
Following the decision made today, she shared a powerful statement in which she described the past two years as 'absolute hell'.
"The only way to describe how I am feeling now is relieved," she said.
"The last two years have been absolute hell and this verdict will allow me to start to put the pain I have suffered in the past and start embracing the future.
"Bear’s behaviour was completely unacceptable and those who choose to commit such crimes should and will be prosecuted.
"We are living in a time where so much of our lives and our children’s lives are spent online and it is so important that individuals are protected in the virtual world just as they are in reality.
"Social media has given us the egalitarian belief that we are all publishers but what it hasn’t done is regulate what we should responsibly publish.
"I hope me taking a stand gives other men and women who have fallen victim to revenge porn the courage to seek justice and most importantly show them that they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."
She continued: "I have felt ashamed, hurt, violated, even broken at times, but today I stand here feeling empowered, grateful and a huge sense of unity with all of those who have reached out to support me throughout this ordeal.
"I want to take the time to thank the Essex police force (especially Brian Sitch) and also Michelle Roycroft who have been such a huge support to me throughout and have worked tirelessly for two years to get to this point.
"I also want to thank my KC Ms Carey, the jury, the judge Christopher Morgan and all of the victim support team at Chelmsford for ensuring justice was served and helping make my experience as comfortable as possible.
"And of course my friends and family for being by my side, especially my mum who I couldn’t have done this without."
Topics: News
Daisy Phillipson