Disgraced TV star Stephen Bear jailed for sex offender register breach after taunting police from Brazil beach

Reality TV star Stephen Bear taunted police officers from a beach in Brazil that they "can’t catch him" as he breached his notification requirements as a sex offender, a court has heard.

Bear, 36, was not on the run, but under the rules of his registration following a prior conviction he was ordered to inform 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 sex offenders’ register notification requirements.

He was placed on the register when jailed in 2023 for uploading a private sex tape featuring his ex-girlfriend, TV personality Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans website.

The unauthorised trip was uncovered when Bear published a series of social media posts from a beach in Brazil.

Prosecutor Maisa Mamman told the court Bear had uploaded 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.

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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 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.