“I don't think I've ever been so excited for anything in my life," says Georgia Harrison of the imminent release of her ITV documentary, Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear.
Since Stephen Bear first shared an intimate video of Harrison without her consent in 2020, her story had largely been confined to conversations with her solicitors – as well as teary-eyed videos shared with her family and friends.
Earlier this month, Bear, previously known for winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, or “revenge porn” as it's sometimes known. Since his arrest in January 2021, Bear exuded an arrogant bravado, from joking about the “dumb” accusations with his social media following to turning up to court in a rented Rolls Royce and – per the documentary – being “incredibly disrespectful to the CPS barrister.”
In comparison, Harrison outwardly maintained a dignified silence while privately documenting her journey through the lengthy legal proceedings. “It gave me sort of peace,” she tells GLAMOUR, "Knowing that one day I would be able to speak the truth and people would understand what really happened.”
Georgia Harrison never lost sight of her case's potential significance for other victims of image-based sexual abuse. And since her vindication in court, she's continuing the fight to ensure that other people in her position are empowered to seek justice.
Although Bear was convicted for his crimes against Harrison, hundreds of people were complicit, watching and sharing the video knowing Harrison hadn't consented to its distribution.
Harrison recalls people – “especially men” – saying,"‘Oh, what, that video? Yeah, Bear showed me that the other night.’ And I'd be like, 'What? That video of me having sexual intercourse that I haven't given permission to watch, and you are just saying to my face, [as though it] isn't a big deal?'”
“The apparent lack of concern for Harrison's agency is consistent with a worrying societal disregard for sexual consent.”
The apparent lack of concern for Harrison's agency is consistent with a worrying societal disregard for sexual consent, evidenced particularly by the rise of deepfake porn, in which consumers can request the images of celebrities or people they know to be transplanted onto pornographic images or videos. As Jess Davies, an anti-deepfake campaigner, wrote for GLAMOUR, “These [people] do not need lessons in understanding consent. They already understand it. They simply do not care to seek it regarding a woman’s body.”
Harrison hopes that the publicity around her case, especially the documentary, will encourage people to “Think twice before they send something or even watch something” that could have been shared without the participant's consent. “They would've seen [my case] and know it's seriously frowned upon in society.”
Throughout the ordeal, Harrison felt “massively supported by the police and the justice system,” which is particularly encouraging given growing public distrust following reports of misogyny, homophobia, and racism within the police force (via BBC News) – not to mention an appallingly low conviction rate for those accused of sexual offences.
“I want other victims to really just feel a sense of unity and realise that they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I want other victims to really just feel a sense of unity and realise that they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,” explains Harrison. She adds, "I hope any woman that's going through the process that I went through now with courts and police and everything… [that] it just gives them the strength to carry on because it is the right thing to do.”
The brazen nature of Bear's crime (it's estimated that he made £2000 after posting the video on OnlyFans) was only compounded by his arrogant behaviour in court. To put it bluntly, he didn't do himself – or his defence – any favours. But for many victims of image-based sexual abuse, it's harder to hold the perpetrators to account.
In the documentary, Harrison interviews a young woman, Alisha, who discovered intimate footage of herself had been uploaded to PornHub – without her consent. However, the Crown Prosecution Service didn't press charges as there wasn't enough evidence to show the footage was uploaded with the “intent to cause distress.”
As it stands, UK law outlines five elements that must be proven to prosecute someone for image-based sexual abuse: the image or video must be “private”, “sexual”, and “disclosed” (meaning it's shared with another person – online or not). It must also be proven that the image or video was shared with the “intention to cause distress” and without the other party's consent.
Harrison stresses the need for the “intention to cause distress” requirement to be removed, explaining, “I think that's a reason a lot of women are struggling to get convictions […] anyone sharing unconsented sexually explicit footage should know it will cause distress – because it does.”
It makes sense. Surely, if a sexually explicit video of you is shared without your consent, that should be enough to prove an intention to cause distress. As Harrison tells GLAMOUR, “In terms of revenge porn, the law needs to change.”
If you have had your intimate images shared without your consent, remember that you are not alone, and help is available. Get in touch with the Revenge Porn Helpline at help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk.
There is also a step-by-step guide on notyourporn.com which should be followed before taking any action.
Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear is on ITV2 & ITVX at 10 pm Monday 20th March.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
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