Stephen Bear has been jailed for 16 months for breaching a restraining order, meaning he will miss the birth of his first child. The former reality TV star, 36, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday (August 6).
Details of the sentence
Judge Christopher Morgan handed Bear the custodial term along with a new indefinite restraining order. Bear, who attended court with his wife Miami, will be absent for the birth of his first child, expected in September.
Bear was previously imprisoned in 2023 for voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films. Months after his release, he began an online harassment campaign against Georgia Harrison.
Court revelations
The court heard that Bear, who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, made repeated allegations over several months, branding the Love Island star a "liar" and claiming she was "manipulating the court process" to secure his incarceration.
In one social media post, shortly after Ms Harrison received an MBE, he uploaded an Instagram video headlined "breaking news Jimmy Saville [sic] racist wins MBE".
Judge Morgan said Bear had shared posts "of the most abhorrent and harmful type" and accused him of "simply victim blaming". He added: "You simply wished to cause her further harm and that's what you did."
Guilty plea and reaction
Bear had pleaded guilty to breaching the restraining order, which carried a potential five-year jail term. During sentencing, he appeared to become tearful.
Detective Constable Swarv Stafin, who led the probe, said: "Stephen Bear's behaviour is not okay and it should not be normalised or accepted. The impacts of being harassed are very real. It causes a great deal of stress and anxiety – it is something no-one should have to experience."
He added: "The fact that he has admitted the charge against him shows he knew very well what he was doing was wrong and he knew he was breaching the restraining order. I want to pay tribute to Georgia's courage and the dignity she has shown throughout the initial investigation and while Bear attempted to discredit her following his sentencing."
The detective urged: "I would urge anyone that is experiencing any sort of harassing behaviour to the police, no matter how small or big it is, it will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. There are options available to support each victim of such behaviour."
