Stephen Bear: Revenge porn conviction 'sets a precedent'

Stephen Bear's 'revenge porn' condemnation could acceptable the benchmark for further prosecutions accidental campaigners.

The erstwhile world TV prima was recovered blameworthy of sharing backstage intersexual pictures and videos with intent to origin distress connected Tuesday.

Kate Isaacs, who founded the foundation Not Your Porn, described his victim, Georgia Harrison, arsenic "resilient and brave".

She added that his condemnation would beryllium "setting a precedent".

Ms Isaacs told the BBC that prosecuting these types of cases often proves precise difficult.

She created the run radical aft a adjacent person became a unfortunate of alleged revenge porn erstwhile a video of her having enactment ended up connected the PornHub website.

Ms Isaacs advised Harrison and her household erstwhile they started taking steps to prosecute Bear.

Harrison had the close to stay anonymous arsenic a unfortunate of intersexual abuse, but says she waived this to rise consciousness of the effect 'revenge porn' tin have.

Having met Bear connected a world TV show, they had maintained an on-and-off narration and had met up successful August 2020.

Several months aboriginal helium uploaded the video to subscription tract OnlyFans, again without her knowing - erstwhile she recovered retired it was connected there, she told the police.

"This is incredibly precocious illustration and with the assemblage that Stephen Bear and Georgia Harrison have, I deliberation this is adjacent much impactful," Ms Isaacs said.

Bear has appeared connected shows similar Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, portion Harrison recovered fame connected Love Island and The Only Way is Essex.

They some person respective cardinal societal media followers betwixt them.

"The information she went nationalist with this aft idiosyncratic had enactment her connected the net successful a capableness that she didn't consent to, for her to past travel retired and talk retired against it - that bravery is conscionable unmatched," Ms Isaacs added.

Harrison said aft the verdict that she hoped to springiness others "the courageousness to question justice".

She added that she felt "ashamed, hurt, violated, adjacent breached astatine times" but present was "empowered" and "grateful" aft Bear's conviction.

'Revenge porn', which is besides called non-consensual pornography oregon image-based intersexual abuse, was made amerciable successful 2015.

An amendment to the instrumentality was created successful 2021, which besides made threatening to merchandise backstage intersexual images and films an offence.

It inactive remains rather hard to convict suspected 'revenge porn' perpetrators, owed to the instrumentality requiring intent down the merchandise of pictures and videos - either to origin distress oregon embarrassment.

But with the existent laws arsenic they are, Harrison's lawsuit tin beryllium seen arsenic a landmark victory.

Bear is acceptable to beryllium sentenced connected 31 January and could look situation time.

He is inactive utilizing societal media platforms similar Twitter to advertise his paid big contented connected subscription tract Fanly, which helium uses to nutrient big content.

Bear was banned from OnlyFans successful December 2020, aft the CCTV video was discovered and deleted, but it is not known whether helium kept the wealth helium made from selling it online.

In a connection to the BBC, foundation Women's Aid said it was "unacceptable that determination are online pornography websites who are profiting from this abuse" and that "it is captious that young radical cognize that sharing a sexually explicit representation oregon video without consent is against the instrumentality and it's not a game".

The BBC has reached retired to Twitter and Fanly to inquire if they volition beryllium deactivating Bear's accounts.

We person asked OnlyFans whether they oregon Bear profited from the video of him and Harrison being distributed connected their platform.

With the passing of the Online Safety Bill, determination would besides beryllium further protections for victims of abusers - specified arsenic a prohibition connected sharing deepfakes and installing hidden cameras, though it's presently chartless erstwhile this measure could beryllium made into legislation.