What is revenge porn?

Reality TV star Stephen Bear has been given a prison sentence for sharing a video of him having sex with his ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison on the subscriber-based website OnlyFans. Harrison claims that she did not consent to him sharing this video on the internet or with anyone.

On Friday (3 March), the Celebrity Big Brother winner was sentenced and jailed for 21 months after he shared a video that captured Bear and Harrison having sex on CCTV cameras in Bear’s garden on 2 August, 2020.

The prosecution told an earlier trial that the sex at Bear’s home in Loughton, Essex, was consensual but that Harrison, who has waived her right to anonymity, did not know they were being recorded.

After Bear shared the video on his OnlyFans account, he made more than £2,000 from posting the footage, the court heard on Friday.

Harrison said that when Bear originally showed her the footage, she told him “never to send” it to anyone and “made it plain how upset she would be if he did”, the prosecutor said.

Bear, who has also appeared on Ex On The Beach, had denied all charges and claimed at trial that he deleted the footage that day and had shared it with no one other than Harrison.

After Bear was found guilty last year, Harrison says she is a “victim” of revenge porn and hopes that her speaking out will give others the “courage to seek justice” and “show them that they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of”.

As Bear’s sentence is announced, what is revenge porn, and what are the laws surrounding it?

What is revenge porn?

Revenge porn is the act of sharing sexually explicit images or videos of a person without that person’s consent. In many cases, the images are acquired by a partner while in a relationship and then distributed without consent after a breakup, hence the name revenge. It is a criminal offence.

The private images are often shared using either social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, or uploaded to a range of porn websites that encourage public contributions.

Is revenge porn illegal?

In 2015, a new criminal offence to tackle Revenge Porn was introduced in England and Wales as part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

Before the new ruling came into effect, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes cases around revenge porn using a range of existing laws. Sending explicit or nude images of this kind may, depending on the circumstances, be an offence under the Communications Act 2003 or the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

The 2015 offence applies both online and offline and to images which are shared electronically or in a more traditional way. So, it includes uploading material on the internet, sharing by text and e-mail, or showing someone a physical or electronic image.

It criminalises the sharing of private, sexual photographs or films. Sexual material not only covers images that show genitals but anything that a “reasonable person” would consider to be sexual, according to UK Government’s statement on the law. This means that revenge porn could include a picture of someone who is engaged in sexual behaviour or posing in a sexually provocative way.

What is the maximum sentencing for revenge porn in England and Wales?

A person found guilty of the crime could face a sentence of up to two years in prison.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of revenge porn, you can contact the National Revenge Porn Helpline by emailing help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk.