‘Celebrity Big Brother’ Winner Convicted of Selling Revenge Porn
‘ABSOLUTE HELL’
Stephen Bear, an English reality television star, was found guilty on Tuesday of sharing a sex tape that depicted his ex-girlfriend without her consent—“effectively selling the footage to get money,” as a prosecutor argued during his Essex trial. The 32-year-old, known for winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, was unanimously convicted of of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. A majority verdict also found him guilty of voyeurism. Prosecutors accused Bear of secretly recording a 2020 sexual encounter between himself and his then-girlfriend, Love Island star Georgia Harrison, who testified that she only became aware that the footage was circulating online weeks later. With the help of an “ethical hacker,” the court was told, she eventually tracked it down on Bear’s OnlyFans page, according to the BBC. In a statement after the verdict, Harrison, who waived her right to anonymity, said the “last two years have been absolute hell,” but that she was looking forward to “embracing the future.” Bear, whose Twitter account advertised a “50% off” deal for his adult website during the trial, has denied all the charges, and said Tuesday that “it was never a fair trial.”