Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailed

409     0
Georgia Harrison
Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailed

Love Island star Georgia Harrison has spoken of her horrendous ordeal after Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear leaked a video of the pair having sex in his garden.

Disgraced reality star Bear, 33, was sentenced today to 21 months after he was found guilty of sharing the video on OnlyFans without Georgia's consent, having been filmed on CCTV in his garden in 2020.

He received 21 months in prison for sharing the video to Only Fans, with nine months for count 1 and six months for count 2, to run concurrently. Count 1 is a voyeurism charge, count 2 regards sending the video on WhatsApp to someone.

Bear's sentence was handed down at Chelmsford Crown Court, where his trial had been held in December, with a jury finding he committed voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

In a victim impact statement she shared in court, Georgia, who has waived her right to anonymity spoke of the toll the ordeal had taken on her.

Georgia Harrison announces split from mystery boyfriend after Stephen Bear trial eiqekiqtuiqerinvGeorgia Harrison announces split from mystery boyfriend after Stephen Bear trial
Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailedGeorgia Harrison gave her victim impact statement in court today

She told of how her worst nightmare came true when the video of herself and Bear was shared with the world.

Georgia said: "Millions of people were watching me and laughing at me and it was completely, utterly out of my control.

She explained that when she first saw the leaked video she felt "so sick", and cried hysterically.

"Even when people weren't talking about it I just couldn't physically be in the room," she said.

Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailedStephen Bear was sentenced to 21 months in jail

As well as having her family and friends knowing of the video, Georgia said she had to deal with Bear "ridiculing" her on social media, and doing impressions of her crying.

The Love Island star also said she had been dropped from contracts, and brands say they didn't want to be associated with her, due to the leaked video.

She said her income had dropped dramatically. Georgia added she no longer lived in Essex as her flat is near Bear's.

"He's left me feeling hurt, embarrassed, insignificant and insecure in so many ways. I simply don't have the condidence I used to have," Georgia said of her Bear.

Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailedStephen Bear arrives at Chelmsford Crown Court in December (PA)
Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailedHe has been sentenced today (PA)

Following the verdict outside court, she gave a statement in which she said: "I just want to say that I'm happy and relieved that this matter is finally over. This sentence is a vindication of what I've been put through and sends a clear message that the police and courts take this matter very seriously.

"I want all other victims of this crime know that I stand in solidarity with them and I have absolutely no regrets on waiving my anonymity.

Stephen Bear proposes to girlfriend as he awaits possible jail sentenceStephen Bear proposes to girlfriend as he awaits possible jail sentence

"I hope this puts anyone off committing this sort of crime and I hope for anyone else who's been a victim of it, it gives them some sort of justice. Thank you so much for all of your support and that's it."

Georgia was in court in December when the jury delivered their verdict, and took to the stand during the trial, explaining she was so ashamed she couldn't leave the room after the video was shared online.

Bear also took to the stand, where he denied planning to record the footage, sending it on to anyone, uploading it to OnlyFans and asking anyone else to upload it.

During an often tense cross examination, the former Ex on the Beach contestant boasted of his sexual prowess and told the court he had "many girlfriends" with high profiles.

After the guilty verdicts, Georgia said she hoped herself 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."

The star later revealed she was dropped by a number of brands after the video was released, and urged the government to do more to hold social media companies to account, help victims and act quicker.

Georgia Harrison's harrowing victim statement as ex Stephen Bear jailedGeorgia hopes taking a stand will encourage revenge porn victims to seek justice (ITV)

In an Instagram post after the verdict Georgia vowed to focus on positivity, telling fans she wants to "let go of any negativity and concentrate souly on positive changes to our society to help protect everyone but most importantly the younger generation."

Katherine Heslop

Print page

Comments:

comments powered by Disqus