MTV Stephen Bear's cast photo on "The Challenge: Total Madness."
Reality star Stephen Bear had a court appearance on Friday, July 30, at Chelmsford Crown Court in England where he entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs or films and one count of voyeurism, according to the Daily Mail. The 31-year-old former “Challenge” star from Essex will now face a trial on February 7, 2022.
Bear posed for pictures outside of the courthouse and once inside gave the judge a double thumbs-up, the Daily Mail reported. Bear was accused by his “Challenge” co-star and former ex-girlfriend Georgia Harrison of filming them having sex without her consent and then sharing the videos and images without her permission, including on his OnlyFans account.
According to the outlet, Bear was accused of uploading the videos on August 2 and November 8, 2020. At the end of the court appearance, Bear told the judge, “Thank you for that. It’s nice to finally set a date when I can hopefully get my life back.”
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After His Court Appearance, Bear Posted That He Flew to Turkey for Vacation With His Girlfriend
Bear’s trial will begin on February 7, 2022, and will be a jury trial expected to last about two to three days, the Daily Mail reported. The judge told Bear in his court appearance, “Your trial is now fixed for February 7 next year. If you don’t attend when required to do so a warrant may be issued for your arrest.”
After the short hearing, Bear posted about it on social media and said he was leaving on vacation, “Jetting off to turkey in a few hours. life’s a movie.” He also posted some videos with his girlfriend along with comments hinting about the subject of the trial, such as, “I hope she knows she’s being filmed,” along with the hashtag “barely legal.”
His girlfriend, 22-year-old Jessica Smith, also wrote alongside a video of the two on holiday, “Can’t believe he filmed this without me knowing ….. cheeky.”
Bear Was Arrested in January After ‘Challenge’ Co-Star Georgia Harrison Accused Him of ‘Revenge Porn’
Bear, who appeared on three seasons of “The Challenge,” including two with fellow British reality star Harrison, was first accused by Harrison in December 2020. She called out her ex on social media and said he recorded them having sex without her knowledge or consent and shared the footage with his friends and on his OnlyFans.
Bear was in Dubai at the time of the accusations, and when he flew back to the U.K. in January 2021, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport. The reality star denied the accusations and was released soon after. However, in May, he was officially charged by Essex Police, who said in a statement:
A man has been charged in connection with an investigation into the disclosure of intimate photographs without consent. Stephen Bear, 31, of Bryony Close, Loughton was arrested in January. He has now been charged with voyeurism, disclosing private, sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, and harassment without violence.
Prior to his vacation in Turkey, Bear was living at his parents’ house and “keeping a low profile,” according to the Daily Mail, following death threats he received at his own house.
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