Victim of revenge porn thanks Essex Police

“From the bottom of my heart, I just want to say thank you for being so supportive, to you and everyone at Essex Police force. I will be grateful for the rest of my life.”

Georgia Harrison, a victim of revenge porn has thanked the Essex Police detective who bought her perpetrator to justice.

Detective Constable Brian Sitch lead the two-year investigation into the accusation that Stephen Bear had shared an explicit video of Georgia Harrison online without her consent. The investigation, which sat within Essex Police’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Team went to trial in December 2022.

After being found guilty of voyeurism, disclosing private images without consent and breach of bail conditions, Stephen Bear, 33 of Bryony Close was sentenced to 21 months in prison in March this year.

Meeting with DC Sitch, Georgia describes how

“It was a long process and I was feeling quite a lot of pressure, sometimes I would just think am I making the right decision?
“I pushed through that and with the support of the police and others I manage to carry on and make the right choices.”

In the meeting, Georgia encouraged other victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse to report to the police and reassured that any allegation will be taken seriously.

Following the sentencing, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan said:

"This man thought he could treat women and girls like they were on a reality show.
"He thought he could commit appalling crimes in Essex and get away with it.
"He was wrong.
"You can’t try to shame and manipulate people to satisfy yourself.
"You can’t pretend that taking intimate videos and sharing them without consent is OK. It’s not.
"And if you try to get away with it in Essex, you won’t, regardless of who you are.
"Thank you Georgia Harrison, not only for your bravery but for your trust in our detectives. I’d like to commend the investigating officer in this case, DC Brian Sitch who has demonstrated his determination to stand alongside Georgia Harrison to hold this man to account.
"I am also calling on the organisations who were not in court today to step up and take some responsibility for what has happened.
"A young woman has shown immense bravery in taking a stand publicly to try to protect other women and girls. It’s now time for the social media companies who make money from the appalling distress that sharing intimate videos causes to reflect on their behaviour.
"Let me be clear, misogyny and violence and intimidation against women and girls, in all its forms, is wrong – and it is for us all to stand up and stand together to stamp it out in our society."

Synergy Essex provides support and guidance for survivors of sexual and sexual abuse across Essex.

The Essex Rape Crisis Partnership is formed of three organisations:

• CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) who cover mid and north Essex.
• SERICC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service) who cover South and West Essex.
• SOS Rape Crisis who cover Southend, Castle Point and Rochford.

Survivors can self-refer and receive emotional support, specialist sexual violence and abuse counselling and or specialist advocacy services, no matter when the sexual violence or abuse occurred. In addition to this, they also offer support to survivor’s loved ones.

For more information about how to get support, visit the Synergy Essex website.