Former Celebrity Big Brother winner Stephen Bear has been sentenced to another 24 weeks in prison after he taunted police officers from Brazil. The 36-year-old told police they "can't catch him" as he breached the requirements of the sex offenders' register, a court heard.
Breach of notification requirements
Bear was not on the run at the time, but under the rules of his registration requirement following his conviction he was ordered to inform the authorities about foreign travel, Thames Magistrates' Court heard. On Friday he pleaded guilty to five counts of failing to comply with the sex offenders’ register notification requirements.
He was placed on the register in 2023 when he was jailed for sharing a private sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, former Love Island star Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans profile. His unauthorised trip to Brazil was discovered when he made a series of social media posts from a beach, the court heard.
Court hears of social media taunts
Prosecutor Maisa Mamman told the court Bear had posted videos on social media showing him on a beach in Brazil and saying “the police will not be able to catch” him. She added: “He posted on social media videos essentially bragging he was in Brazil.”
Bear had not informed police about a trip to Brazil last year and then failed to tell officers within three days that he had returned to the UK. He also did not flag that he had acquired a new passport and two bank cards during his trip.
Judge's warning and previous sentence
In his defence, the court heard Bear was not aware of the restrictions at the time and is now clear about what the requirements demand. Deputy district judge Claire Pithie told Bear the sentence takes immediate effect: “You need to work on your strategies. Otherwise you will keep ending up finding yourself in difficult situations. You have a baby on the way.”
As he walked from the dock, Bear told the judge: “Thank you, have a good day”.
Bear appeared in custody for his sentencing after he was jailed last week at Chelmsford Crown Court for 16 months for breaching a restraining order by posting on social media about Ms Harrison.
Speaking after the hearing last week, Ms Harrison said: “Essex Police took me seriously when so many women in my position are overlooked. They treated this as the serious crime it is - not a celebrity story. It is a real offence against a real person. They built the case properly, they stayed with it, and when the order was breached, they acted instead of shrugging. From the messages I get every day, I know how rare that still is. If every force treated this the way Essex Police did, thousands of women would feel safer today”.
