Stephen Bear has been handed another prison sentence after flouting a sex offender order by fleeing the UK. He received a sentence of 24 weeks in prison after admitting he failed to comply.
The former Celebrity Big Brother winner, 36, is already serving a 16-month prison order after he breached a restraining order stopping him from contacting former partner Georgia Harrison. Now, he has been hit with another jail sentence.
Background of the case
It comes after Bear served only half of a 21-month sentence he had been handed in March 2023. In the initial case against him, he was found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films.
Just last week, Bear had been sent back to prison after breaching his restraining order against former Love Island star Georgia. But in a recent development, Bear was brought back to Thames Magistrates' Court after it emerged he went to Brazil last year.
Details of the breach
It later emerged that Bear had not told police about the trip. He also had failed to reveal he had a series of new bank cards, as well as a new passport which allowed him to travel freely outside the UK. The rules also stated that any travel should be declared to police within three days of returning home.
Defending Bear, Jesse Williams told a court hearing that the convicted sex offender was unaware he had to tell the police of his planned holiday. Williams also insisted in court that Bear's NatWest debit card was not working in the South American country. As a result to access his funds, he had to set up a new account with online banks Revolut and Wise.
"He had to pay rent and pay living expenses and he wanted to make sure that if one account was blocked or didn’t register then he had another to fall back on," Williams told the court. "While still in Brazil, he lost his passport. He then contacted the British consulate to get a replacement one."
Original conviction and aftermath
Bear was first notified to police after Georgia reported him for sharing sexual content of the pair together without her consent. She had pleaded with Bear not to share the video with others as it "upset her greatly". But just hours later, Georgia was sent the harrowing clip and later discovered Bear had shared it to his exclusive members-only adult content site. The sex offender had chillingly advertised the post: "Can't wait to see me f*** in the garden."
Georgia ultimately went public with her case, and brought Bear to court, where he was found guilty of sharing revenge porn. She admitted after the result that it was her "worst nightmare", leaving her "violated and used". On top of his jail sentence, Bear was also ordered to pay the Love Island star £27,000 in damages. This came after the initial video had raised just over £22,000 from paying subscribers.
