A U.K. court has ordered jailed reality TV star Stephen Bear to pay £207,900 ($268,184) in damages to ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison.
In March, the Chelmsford Crown Court found Bear guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private, sexual photographs and films with the intent to cause distress after CCTV footage of him having sex with his then girlfriend, “Love Island” star Harrison, was uploaded to the OnlyFans site. Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Bear is a former “Ex on the Beach” contestant and “Celebrity Big Brother” winner.
Harrison, who is also known for her appearances on “The Only Way Is Essex” and “Olivia Meets Her Match,” waived her right to anonymity for the court case.
The damages, including special damages, and an injunction, were awarded in a ruling at the High Court in London on Wednesday. This is one of the highest amounts to be awarded in an image abuse case and one of the highest awards of all time in a privacy claim arising out of a single act.
“This is a case where the term ‘revenge porn’ is sometimes used, it’s a colorful term for the media,” Judge Victoria McCloud said. “This is a gross act of violation by a man towards a woman through the medium of the internet. A more appropriate term is image based abuse. Pornography is generally actually something done consensually. It was consensual sex but it certainly wasn’t consensual filming and it was deeply violating.”
Hanna Basha and Nick Grant of legal firm Payne Hicks Beach’s privacy and media team represented Harrison.
Harrison said in a statement: “I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has helped support my civil claim, which after almost three years has finally been settled. It’s no secret that Payne Hicks Beach are one of the most sought after and respected legal teams in the U.K., so it was a real honor to have them support me, especially as I didn’t have the finances necessary to afford a legal team at the time. They have been true heroes on my journey to justice, and I will forever be in awe of how talented they are. Once I officially receive the settlement sum, I will be donating part of it to multiple charities that have helped support me and other victims of image-based sexual abuse.”
Basha added: “This has been a difficult, complicated and emotional case. I am pleased that we were able to support Georgia, and I hope her strength in pursuing this highlights to other victims that there is help and support available for them and that the courts take these matters very seriously.”
