Stephen Bear, a former Celebrity Big Brother winner, has refunded the £22,305 he illegally earned by uploading private sex footage of himself and reality TV star Georgia Harrison online after a judge issued a seizure order.
The 34-year-old risked nine months in prison if he did not pay the money within three months following the ruling issued by Judge Christopher Morgan at Chelmsford Crown Court in March of this year. The judge issued the order during a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing after Bear was released from jail in January after serving 10-and-a-half months of his 21-month term for spreading the film. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced that Bear has paid the £22,305 confiscation order in full.
Debbie Price, the deputy chief crown prosecutor, said: “It is right Stephen Bear has paid the full amount of his confiscation order – it’s important criminals understand that, aside from the sentence they receive, we will also go after their bank accounts and assets to prevent them from enjoying the money they made from their crimes.”
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Separately, the judge ordered Bear to pay Ms. Harrison £5,000 in compensation, which he stated “can be enforced through the magistrates’ court” if it is “not satisfied”. Bear was imprisoned in March last year after being convicted of voyeurism and two charges of exposing private sexual images and recordings to cause harm.
Ms. Harrison stated at the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in March of this year that Bear “sold his house from prison – he sold his house to a company called We Buy Any House for well under market value”.
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According to Essex Police, the Home Office receives half of the confiscation order money, with the remainder split among the CPS, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), and the police.
According to the force, from the monies granted to the police, separate commands can “bid for equipment that will contribute towards future asset recovery” and a payment is paid to the Essex Community Foundation, a grant-giving organization.