Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear taunted the police from a beach in Brazil that they “can’t catch him” as he breached his requirements as a sex offender, a court has heard.
Bear, 36, was not on the run, but under the rules of his registration requirements following his conviction he was ordered to tell authorities about foreign travel, Thames Magistrates’ Court heard.
On Friday, The Celebrity Big Brother 2016 winner was sentenced to 24 weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to five counts of failing to comply with the sex offenders’ register notification requirements.
He was placed on the register when he was jailed in 2023 for sharing a private sex tape of his ex-girlfriend, TV personality Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans website.
The unauthorised trip was discovered when Bear made a series of social media posts from a beach in Brazil.
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.
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, who found fame on reality show The Only Way Is Essex.
Bear spoke to confirm his personal details, telling the court his usual address is Walthamstow, east London, but he is currently staying “in Chelmsford”, referring to the prison sentence he was given last week.
He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and £154 surcharge and given until March 2027 to pay it off.
Bear and his wife Miami, who is eight-months pregnant, threw heart-shaped hand signs to each other during a break in the sentencing hearing.
He also she sent his family a thumbs-up sign.
At an earlier hearing the court was told that Bear was unaware he had to notify police of his trip to Brazil within three days of returning.
His NatWest card was blocked while there and he therefore applied for cards from Wise and Revolut.
He had to pay rent and pay living expenses and he wanted to make sure that if one account was blocked or did not register then he had another to fall back on.
He lost his passport while still in Brazil and contacted the British consulate to get a replacement one.
The defendant returned to UK in April 2026 because his father had died, the court had previously heard.
Bear admitted failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders register by not informing police of foreign travel on January 17 last year, as well as by failing to tell officers that he had returned to the UK within the required three days on April 27 this year.
The charge relating to the new passport was on January 20 last year and the two bankcard charges were on May 14 this year.
The sex offenders register notification requirements were put in place for a decade at his sentencing in 2023.
He was jailed after being found guilty of voyeurism and of two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.
Bear and Ms Harrison were captured having sex by CCTV cameras in his garden on August 2 2020.
In June 2024, Chelmsford Crown Court heard Bear had repaid the £22,305 he had illegally earned by sharing a private sex tape online.
It came after a judge who had made a confiscation order for that amount warned Bear he faced nine months in prison if he did not pay the sum within three months.
The order was made at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing after Bear walked out of prison having served 10-and-a-half months of his 21-month sentence for sharing the film.
Last week Bear was jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court for for breaching a restraining order by posting on social media about his Ms Harrison.
Between March and July 2025, Bear repeatedly posted about Ms Harrison on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube, despite a restraining order which banned him from doing so, the CPS said.
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