The Challenge: Why was Stephen Bear arrested in 2023?

Stephen Bear is well-remembered by reality TV fans, as his appearance on The Challenge is fairly recent. Along with Georgia Harrison, Bear participated in The Challenge season 33, The War of the Worlds, which began airing in January 2019.

Stephen and Georgia started dating shortly after they met on season 33, but the duo soon ended things in July 2019. The pair split after Stephen was apparently caught cheating with a girl who was staying at the hotel where the couple was spending their holidays.

According to the BBC, Stephen was sentenced to 21 months in prison for posting Georgia's s*x tape on OnlyFans without her permission, in 2023. The motive behind his crime was to allegedly make a profit from her celebrity status.

Further, Georgia also reportedly claimed the CCTV clip Stephen posted online was anonymously recorded by him in 2020, without her prior consent. Fuming fans of the show flocked to social media to show their support for Georgia and encourage her to stay strong and speak out.

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Judge Morgan passed the verdict on Stephen Bear's case of making an intimate video with Georgia Harrison public

According to BBC, not only was Stephen Bear sentenced to 21 months in prison, he was also ordered to follow "no contact" with Georgia Harrison for five years. As per reports, Georgia's solicitors said that she was awarded £207,900 as compensation for damages by the High Court. Georgia said that she would be donating a part of her earnings to charities.

The 33-year-old was found guilty of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private, s*xual photographs and films, as per BBC reports. Stephen was ordered to register as a s*x offender and will have to keep the authorities updated about his whereabouts for the next 10 years.

Stephen Bear made a grand entrance at the hearing in his Rolls Royce, decked up in a pink suit topped with a black fur coat and girlfriend Jessica Smith by his side. He was arrested in January 2021 at Heathrow Airport, upon his arrival from a holiday in Dubai. He wasn't convicted right away because the court ordered his mental evaluation for ADHD, anxiety, and depression.

Judge Christopher Morgan, during the 2023 hearing, said that Bear, "wished to exploit the economic value of the recording." According to The Telegraph, he said,

"I'm sure that you recognized the enhanced economic value to you by having Georgia Harrison, a well-known reality TV, and social media personality, in the video"

This was owing to Gerogia's wider reach than Stephan Bear's, as she was a Love Island star before she appeared on The Challenge. Judge Morgan also saluted Harrison's actions for sharing her story with dignity and courage, and acknowledged the extensive humiliation and embarrassment she had to face.

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Georgia Harrisons extended her support for s*xual abuse victims

Talking about her experience when she first found the clip online, the 28-year-old said that she felt physically sick and admitted to "crying hysterically for hours." Stephen Bear's actions also impacted her career, as she experienced a drastic drop in her income.

Addressing other victims of s*xual abuse, as reported by The Telegraph, Ms. Harrison said,

"I want to let all other victims of this crime know that I stand in solidarity with them and I have absolutely no regrets on waiving my anonymity. I hope that this puts anyone off committing this sort of crime and I hope for anyone else who has been a victim of it that it gives them some sort of justice."

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The Challenge has made it to season 34 after its inception in 1998. The last season ended in 2019, which has fans anticipating new installments of the popular show. Georgia Harrison is now a part of Love Island All-Stars after The Challenge cut ties with her for her allegedly racially charged comments.