Stephen Bear, a convicted sex offender, has been instructed to reimburse the £22,305 in earnings attributed to the unlawful sharing of a sex tape, as ruled by prosecutors.
Last year, Bear, aged 34, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for posting footage of himself with Love Island personality Georgia Harrison on OnlyFans. He was released from custody in January.
During a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing held at Chelmsford Crown Court, Bear was further directed to pay £5,000 in compensation to Ms. Harrison.
The court disclosed that Bear, who served 10 and a half months of his sentence, garnered substantial profits from subscribers following the video’s upload. The £22,305 will be remitted to HM Treasury and subsequently allocated to police charities.
Originally, the video featuring Ms. Harrison generated £1,650.98, but Bear’s subscriber count surged, resulting in significantly higher earnings, as previously stated in court.
Stephen Bear Ordered to Repay Earnings from Illegally Shared Sex Tape
During the Proceeds of Crime hearing, Ms. Harrison shared with the court: “I lived in constant fear of this footage being exposed, and the thought of my family discovering it was agonizing. It was an indescribable feeling of violation and embarrassment – I struggled with self-loathing for a long time.”
Judge Christopher Morgan remarked that the impact of the video was “catastrophic,” permanently altering Ms. Harrison’s life. He noted financial losses incurred by the victim due to Bear’s illegal actions, including lost job opportunities and legal expenses.
At the time of uploading the video on November 8, 2020, Bear’s OnlyFans account had 1,061 subscribers. A month later, after the video – available for $9.99 (£7.95) – was published, the subscriber count surged by 822.
Prosecutor Andrew Bousfield stated in a previous hearing: “During this period, Mr. Bear portrayed himself as a billionaire on Twitter. However, his primary source of income was selling sexual content.”
Financial investigator Laura Mackenzie revealed that Bear’s bank account was in deficit.
Bear, residing in Loughton, Essex, was sentenced to 21 months in jail in March 2023 after being found guilty of voyeurism and unauthorized disclosure of private sexual material.
In a previous civil case, he was ordered to pay Ms. Harrison £207,900 in damages, but none of it has been paid yet.
Judge Morgan warned Bear in court that failure to pay the £22,305 confiscation order within three months, without requesting an extension, could result in a nine-month imprisonment.
Addressing Bear directly, the judge emphasized: “Those who fail to pay face the full term of imprisonment, not just half. The debt remains until it’s settled.”
During Bear’s criminal trial, it was revealed that while the sexual encounter was consensual, Ms. Harrison was unaware that the footage, captured by a CCTV camera in Bear’s garden, was being shared publicly.
Outside the court, Ms. Harrison commented: “No one should profit from any form of crime, especially from image-based sexual abuse. It’s essential that offenders are made to compensate their victims and the legal system, particularly following a successful conviction.” She expressed her intention to donate a portion of the funds to charities supporting her throughout the ordeal.
