Entertainment
Celebrity Big Brother star Stephen Bear ‘shared sex tape online without consent after capturing it on CCTV’-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
The trial began on Tuesday.
Stephen Bear is accused of uploading footage of he and his then-girlfriend having sex to OnlyFans as a trial begins in Essex on Tuesday (Picture: PA)
Reality TV star Stephen Bear had sex with his ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison in his garden before sharing footage of it on OnlyFans after capturing it on CCTV, a court has been told.
Bear, known for reality series including Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, is on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court accused of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films in August and November 2020.
He denies the charges.
The trial, which began today, opened with Jacqueline Carey KC for the prosecution saying that in August 2020, complainant Harrison met up with her former boyfriend Bear for lunch and drinks.
They ‘ended up back at his house’ and ‘engaged in consensual sexual intercourse in his garden,’ with an explicit video later being uploaded to OnlyFans.
Carey added that Harrison did not know, ‘but [Bear] did’, that there were CCTV cameras in the garden which recorded the pair having sex.
Bear denies the charges against him (Picture: PA)
The barrister said Bear later told Harrison about the cameras and showed her the footage with Harrison warning him to ‘never send it to anyone’ and making it clear how upset she would be if he did.
The counsel for the prosecution went on to say that Bear sent the footage to someone on WhatsApp that night ‘despite knowing how upset she would be if the footage were to get out.’
She said Bear later uploaded the footage ‘either himself or had it uploaded to OnlyFans, and profited financially [from the video.]’
‘The defendant was effectively selling the footage to get money,’ Carey said.
The reality star appeared in court accompanied by his girlfriend (Picture: PA)
Carey said Bear’s OnlyFans account was opened in October 2020 and closed in December 2020, with 273 people paying $9.99 (£8.15) to watch the footage in question.
‘It’s clear there’s a lot of money to be made from posting content such as this,’ the prosecutor noted.
Bear, of Loughton, arrived at the court in a chauffeur-driven white Rolls Royce on Tuesday morning, and wore a pink suit, black fur coat and sunglasses.
Meanwhile, Harrison’s representatives said she has waived her right to anonymity in relation to the case.
Harrison, 27, is also involved in reality TV and has appeared on shows such as The Only Way Is Essex, Love Island and Olivia Meets Her Match.
Former Celebrity Big Brother winner Bear arrived to court in a chauffer-driven Rolls Royce (Picture: PA)
The prosecutor said Bear was arrested at Heathrow airport on his way back from Dubai on January 15 2021, but the phone he was using in Dubai ‘was never recovered.’
Harrison, giving evidence from behind screens, said she and her former boyfriend went for lunch at a restaurant on August 2 2020 and ‘there was a lot of alcohol involved.’
She said they returned to his house and drank tequila and wine before having sex in his garden, insisting she had ‘absolutely no idea I was on camera during the time we were having sex.’
Harrison said Bear told her later they may have been ‘accidentally recorded’ on CCTV and she asked to see the footage, adding: ‘I was really drunk and I knew in the morning I was going to want to know what was on there.’
Harrison said she told Bear it was ‘going to be really bad, to not just change my life but also yours’ if the footage was released, and said Bear ‘acted like I was being really uptight about something that was never going to come out.’
‘It wasn’t until later that evening when I thought I saw him send it to someone that I thought this was quite serious.’
Harrison waived her right to anonymity ahead of the trial (Picture: PA)
She said she ‘grabbed’ Bear’s phone when she saw him send a message over WhatsApp, claiming: ‘I started crying and he said “don’t be silly.”‘
Harrison said Bear told her the person on WhatsApp would not have sent the footage on and claimed ‘he unsent it, said he deleted it and said he wouldn’t send it to anyone again.’
‘I told him it would completely ruin my life and ruin his career and if he was to send it to anyone, it’s revenge porn and you can go to prison for revenge porn,’ she said.
Harrison went on to claim that weeks later she was told the footage was online and, after enlisting the help of an ‘ethical hacker,’ she ‘found out it originated from (Bear’s) OnlyFans.’
Harrison said her mother, who was her manager at the time, subscribed to Bear’s OnlyFans account and found a post from November 8 2020 with a screenshot from the footage with a caption announcing ‘Here’s a little sneak peek. I’ll be dropping this video tonight.’
Bear is known for appearing on reality shows including CBB and Ex on the Beach (Picture: PA)
Harrison said she sent the screenshot to police, and said it was ‘absurd’ to be ‘monetising’ off the video.’
Asked in court why she had waived her right to anonymity, Harrison said: ‘My right to anonymity realistically disappeared the moment (the footage) surfaced.’
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‘I’ve lost a lot from my career and just in general,’ said Harrison. ‘Really I feel I should be getting some form of compensation from what Bear’s done.’
The trial, expected to last at least four days, continues.
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