Revenge porn video like 'house fire', star tells MPs

Reality star Georgia Harrison has compared the leaking of a revenge porn video of herself with Stephen Bear to a "house fire" because of the speed at which it spread.

Former Celebrity Big Brother winner Bear, 34, was jailed in March 2023 at Chelmsford Crown Court after he shared the video of him having sex with Ms Harrison on OnlyFans without her consent.

She told MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee: "When something like this is happening, it really is like a house fire and the quicker you can put it out, the quicker you can stop it."

But Ms Harrison said the video "went viral to a point I can't explain" as it spread round multiple porn sites and was circulated on WhatsApp.

The 29-year-old added: "It absolutely horrified me that an individual had done this to me but what most horrified me was that these platforms were hosting these videos that were unconsented.

"For many that I tried to reach out to, I got an automated response saying 'we will get back to you within four to six days'."

Bear, from Loughton, Essex, was found guilty of voyeurism and of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

He has been ordered to pay back the £22,305 he made from sharing the video.

Discussing her ordeal, Ms Harrison told MPs: "I feel like one of the biggest challenges in general is these big social media companies who are hosting pornographic images and videos, they don't have any way of us getting through to them to report it when there is something unconsented there."

She said videos should be taken down the same day if someone in them said they did not give consent for it to be posted online.

"I think if something gets to to the level where you say 'this is me in a sexually explicit act and I have not given permission', it should be paused that day, not in four to six days."

Ms Harrison also said her revenge porn ordeal had given her "a lot of fear" at the prospect of starting a family.

"I know whenever I'm dating, meeting new people going into any sort of a new work opportunity I am known as the person who has this sex tape which I never ever filmed and never consented to be out there," she said.

"So it changed a lot for me and it definitely gives me a lot of fear for one day, if I do have a family, which is something that was always my intention, are my children going to be able to stumble across this footage?

"Because I'm not protected in the right way by the government for that not to be an issue right now."

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been asked for comment.

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