The reality TV star Stephen Bear has been found guilty of sharing a sex tape showing him with ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison after the recording emerged on the website OnlyFans.
The 32-year-old defendant and Harrison were captured having sex on CCTV cameras in his garden in Loughton, Essex, on 2 August 2020.
Harrison, who waived her right to anonymity, told Chelmsford crown court she did not know that they were being filmed and had told Bear not to share the footage.
But she said he went on to share it on WhatsApp and online. Bear claims he deleted the footage that day and had not shared it with anybody other than Harrison.
On Tuesday, a jury found him guilty by unanimous verdicts of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. He was also found guilty by a majority verdict of 10 jurors to two of voyeurism.
In a statement, Harrison 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”.
“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.
“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.”
Bear, who denied all the charges, told the court after the verdict was returned that “it was never a fair trial” and he was “fighting a losing battle”.
Judge Christopher Morgan replied: “Thank you for that observation.”
During his trial, Bear’s Twitter account posted a “50% off” deal for his adult entertainment website alongside a photo of him arriving at court. The photo showed him walking from a hired chauffeur-driven white Rolls-Royce to the court building with his girlfriend.
The accompanying text said: “50% off my adult site for the next 24 hours. Come see why I’m trending.”
Harrison told the court she discovered the video was online in early December 2020 and had to hire someone to remove it from porn sites.
Bear told jurors on Thursday that he had “got smashed” over lunch with Harrison, 28, on 2 August 2020. He said they had sex at a nearby sunbed shop he was renovating, before having sex again in his garden.
The defendant said the pair watched back footage, caught on his CCTV security cameras, and that she asked for a copy of the 20-minute long video.
He told jurors that Harrison “told me to delete the footage, which I did” that same day, adding: “Why would I want that on my phone?”
The judge bailed Bear until 31 January to return to the same court for sentencing, pending a report.
Bear appeared on MTV’s Ex On The Beach and won Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, while Harrison has appeared on Love Island and The Only Way is Essex.
