Stephen Bear could be forced to sell house and car to pay back money he earned from OnlyFans
Stephen Bear could end up having to sell his house and his car if he doesn't have the cash to pay back the money he made off the OnlyFans video of himself with Georgia Harrison.
The reality TV star was last year found guilty in his 'revenge porn' trial, where he had been accused of secretly filming himself and Harrison having sex before posting the video on OnlyFans.
Chelmsford Crowd Court heard that Bear and Harrison were recorded on the CCTV cameras at his house having sex in his garden on 2 August, 2020.
Harrison had claimed that she didn't know she was being filmed and when made aware of the footage, asked her partner not to post it online.
Advert
Waiving her right to anonymity, she took him to court where he was found guilty on charges of voyeurism and of disclosing private, sexual photographs and films, though Bear denied all of the charges against him and claimed he had only shown the footage to Harrison.
After the verdict, Harrison said she was 'relieved' after two years of 'absolute hell', describing Bear's behaviour as 'absolutely unacceptable'.
Having been found guilty, the reality TV star was officially sentenced earlier this month, with Judge Christopher Morgan ruling that Stephen Bear would spend 21 months in prison.
Now, the 33-year-old could be forced to sell off some of his belongings thanks to something called the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Simply put, if someone gained money or assets through criminal activity, then the authorities have the right to confiscate these things in order to ensure that crime doesn't pay, with the proceeds being split between the police and Home Office.
According to the Daily Mirror, the deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS East of England, Hannah Von Dadelszen, said that Bear had been ordered to hand over a list of his assets by the end of this month.
She said: "We have started the process for there to be a Proceeds of Crime assessment in relation to Mr Bear.
"He committed these offences to make money off it, and we think it's right that he shouldn't be allowed to benefit from that criminal activity.
"Proceeds of Crime Act hearings allow us to deprive a defendant of their benefits of criminal conduct. It's not a large amount of money in this case but the principle still stands whether or not the sum of money is large."
If Bear doesn't have the cash to pay back the money, he could be forced to sell possessions until he does have the money required.
Von Dadelszen added: "That first stage of making a declaration of assets does enable that consideration. You might not have the ready cash but you have a house or a car."
While he made around £40,000 from OnlyFans in 2020, with his account being deactivated in December of that year, the reality star would only be liable for the money he made off posting the video of himself and Harrison.
The court heard that 273 people paid £9.99 to watch the footage, and Bear would need to pay that money to the Crown.
While Von Dadelszen said the figure they were intending to charge Bear was 'not a large amount', during his sentencing hearing, his barrister told the court that he was struggling to afford mortgage payments on his Essex home and had struggled to find work on television after being arrested.
The Mirror reports that Bear is also liable for around £3,500 in prosecution costs, and that Harrison could attempt to obtain compensation through the civil courts.
Joe Harker