At the High Court in London today Georgia was awarded damages and an injunction. Acknowledging the great distress caused by Stephen Bear’s actions, the court awarded Georgia a sum of £207,900 in damages, including special damages. This is the highest sum to be awarded in an image abuse case and one of the highest awards of all time in a privacy claim arising out of a single act.
Georgia said: “I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone who has helped support my civil claim, which after almost 3 years has finally been settled. It’s no secret that Payne Hicks Beach are one of the most sought after and respected legal teams in the UK, so it was a real honour to have them support me, especially as I didn’t have the finances necessary to afford a legal team at the time. They have been true heroes on my journey to justice, and I will forever be in awe of how talented they are. Once I officially receive the settlement sum, I will be donating part of it to multiple charities that have helped support me and other victims of image-based sexual abuse.
Hanna Basha and Nick Grant of Payne Hicks Beach’s Privacy and Media Team represented Georgia with the assistance of Gervase de Wilde of 5RB. Hanna Basha said: “This has been a difficult, complicated and emotional case. I am pleased that we were able to support Georgia, and I hope her strength in pursuing this highlights to other victims that there is help and support available for them and that the courts take these matters very seriously.”
