Former Tennis Star Boris Becker Jailed In UK For More Than Two Years For Bankruptcy Offences

Former tennis champ Boris Becker has been jailed for two and half years for hiding assets following his bankruptcy.

The 54-year-old tennis legend was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act by a jury at Southwark Crown Court earlier this month and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison at the same court on Friday (Apr 29).

Becker's lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw had argued that the six-time Grand Slam champion had already "lost literally everything" in a plea for a suspended sentence.

However, Judge Deborah Taylor said that Becker had "shown no humility" during the proceedings despite the humiliation he may have felt.

The German sports star will serve half of his sentence before being considered for release, Judge Taylor said.

Becker had been accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two of his Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying off his debts.

Becker, who has lived in Britain for the past decade, had described how he was "shocked" and "embarrassed" after being declared bankrupt in 2017 over an unpaid loan of over £3 million (S$5 mil) on his estate on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

He claimed that he was left in financial difficulty after a costly divorce from his first wife Barbara Becker, which he says cost him around £38 million of his career earnings.

But the court heard how he received around 1.13 million euros (£950,000) from the sale of a Mercedes dealership he owned in Germany – which was paid into a business account described as a "piggy bank" used for personal expenses.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley told jurors that the BBC tennis pundit had given bankruptcy officials "the runaround" by transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds to other accounts including, those belonging to  ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely 'Lily' Becker.  — BANG SHOWBIZ

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos