Working with Crimewatch to help victims of revenge porn

DC Brian Sitch was on BBC Crimewatch Live last week discussing how he helped the victim of 'revenge porn'.

An investigation was launched in December 2020 after private images of Georgia Harrison were shared online by her former boyfriend Stephen Bear. The case received a large amount of interest amongst the media and the public on social media platforms.

This presented challenges for investigating officer, Essex Police DC Sitch, however following Bear’s arrest in January 2021, he was charged and subsequently found guilty of voyeurism, disclosing private sexual images without consent and breach of bail conditions. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The case, which is a current focus of the Crimewatch programme, and is available to view on BBC iPlayer, talks through both the challenges and complexities of cases of this nature, as well as the steps taken by Essex Police to bring Stephen Bear to justice.

An Essex Police spokesperson said:

“We take all allegations of all sexual offences seriously and we hope this case encourages others who may be subject to similar crimes to come forward. We also hope people who recognise similar behaviours in their own lives realise the wrongdoings of their actions and the devastating consequences this can have on victims.
“We are continuing with our efforts to educate perpetrators to change their behaviour as well as working hard to build strong investigations to continue to bring people to justice.”

If you recognise any of the behaviour mentioned in this article and have been reflecting on your actions, it’s not too late to make a change.

Please visit The Change Project website for advice on how to make a difference to you, your family, and your partners in the future.

If you’re a survivor of abuse looking for community support in your area please visit the Essex Compass website.