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Boris Becker jailed: Tennis champion sentenced over bankruptcy

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Boris Becker, the six-time Grand Slam tennis champion, was using his business account as a "piggy bank" to pay for personal expenses, a court has heard.

He spent money from his business account on his children's school fees, designer clothes and shopping at the luxury store, Harrods, jurors heard.

The 54-year-old, who commentated for the BBC last year, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court charged with 24 offences under the Insolvency Act.

He denies all charges.

The charges relate to his June 2017 bankruptcy over a £3.5m bank loan for a property in Mallorca, Spain.

He is accused of hiding, or failing to hand over, assets before and after his bankruptcy.

As the second day of Mr Becker's trial got under way, the jury heard the former world number one spent hundreds of pounds at Harrods, bought online groceries at Ocado and treated himself to Ralph Lauren clothes.

The German national is alleged to have hidden €1.13 million (£940,000) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into his Boris Becker Private Office (BBPOL) account.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said: "It is the prosecution case that Mr Becker used the BBPOL sterling account as an extension of his own account, effectively as his own piggy bank, for everyday personal expenses such as school fees for the children and such like."

She said payments in 2017 included £643 to Polo Ralph Lauren, £7,600 in school fees, £976 at Harrods and more than £1,000 at Ocado.

Ms Chalkley told jurors Mr Becker paid his ex-wife Barbara Becker €23,000 (£19,000), estranged wife Sharell "Lilly" Becker €100,000 (£83,000) and transferred £225,000 to a friend.

The prosecutor added that he also transferred €300,000 (£249,000) to his own account, while other funds went into an account he jointly held with his son.

Mr Becker is also accused of failing to hand over assets including trophies he received as a result of his 1985 and 1989 Wimbledon men's singles title, his Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996 and his 1992 Olympic gold medal.

He also allegedly failed to declare two German properties, as well as his interest in a flat in Chelsea, west London, and hid a €825,000 (£686,000) bank loan.

The prosecution is being brought by the Insolvency Service on behalf of the business secretary.

On Monday at the start of the trial, Judge Deborah Taylor instructed the jury of 11 men and one woman to ignore Mr Becker's celebrity.

"You must treat him in exactly the same way you would treat someone you have not heard of and is not in the public eye," she said.

The 24 charges include:

Nine counts of failing to deliver up trophies and other awards;
Seven counts of concealing property totalling more than €1.5m
Five counts of failing to disclose estate, including the properties in Germany and London, shares and a bank account
Two of removal of property amounting to almost €500,000
One of concealing €825,000 of debt
The trial, expected to last up to three weeks, continues.

BBC
 
The three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been found guilty at Southwark crown court of four charges under the Insolvency Act and acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy.
 
The three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been found guilty at Southwark crown court of four charges under the Insolvency Act and acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy.

What a clown Becker is.

The details of the case when one reads into this are pretty extraordinary. He has hidden assets to a calculated criminal extent in some ways, and yet in other areas he has completely overspent and mismanaged his financial affairs in an almost childlike manner.

Perhaps he won Wimbledon as such a young man that he never really grew up in full after that.

He could now face a jail sentence of up to seven years!
 
What a clown Becker is.

The details of the case when one reads into this are pretty extraordinary. He has hidden assets to a calculated criminal extent in some ways, and yet in other areas he has completely overspent and mismanaged his financial affairs in an almost childlike manner.

Perhaps he won Wimbledon as such a young man that he never really grew up in full after that.

He could now face a jail sentence of up to seven years!

That's some double-fault
 
<b>Boris Becker jailed: Tennis champion sentenced over bankruptcy</b>

Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

The 54-year-old six-time Grand Slam champion was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act.

The case centred on Becker's bankruptcy in June 2017 resulting from an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his luxury estate in Mallorca, Spain.

Judge Deborah Taylor said he had shown no remorse or acceptance of guilt.

Referring to Becker's previous conviction for tax evasion in Germany in 2002, she told the former world number one:

"You did not heed the warning you were given and the chance you were given by the suspended sentence and that is a significant aggravating factor...

"You have... sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy.

"While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility."

Becker was legally obliged to disclose all of his assets so that his trustee could distribute available funds to his creditors, to whom he owed nearly £50m when he was declared bankrupt.

But earlier this month, after about two weeks hearing evidence, Southwark Crown Court jurors found Becker guilty of removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate and concealing debt.

They acquitted him on a further 20 charges, including nine counts of failing to hand over his tennis trophies and medals, including two from Wimbledon.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said the jury had found the Wimbledon commentator had acted "deliberately and dishonestly".

She added: "Even now, Mr Becker is still seeking to blame others when it was obviously his duty."

The jury found Becker had failed to declare his share in a sprawling £1m property in his German hometown of Leimen, and hid a bank loan of almost £700,000 on that house, as well as shares in a technology firm valued at £66,000.

He was also found to have made £390,000 worth of payments from his business account to nine others, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker.

Becker's barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court the tennis star's "fall from grace" had left "his reputation in tatters".

He said: "Boris Becker has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers and that is correctly termed as nothing short of a tragedy.

"These proceedings have destroyed his career entirely and ruined any further prospect of earning an income."

Becker will serve half his sentence on licence.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61276378
 
Boris Becker will have to "rely on the charity of others" after his release from a two-and-a-half year jail sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts, his lawyer says.

The 54-year-old tennis star was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing creditors almost £50m, over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

He was found guilty earlier this month of transferring hundreds of thousands from his business account to others and failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen in Germany.

The former men's world number one was also convicted of hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan and 75,000 shares in a tech firm.

It followed a trial at Southwark Crown Court in central London on charges under the Insolvency Act.

He was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying his debts.

Sentencing Becker to two years and six months in jail, Judge Deborah Taylor said it was "notable you have not shown remorse or acceptance of your guilt".

She added: "While I accept the humiliation you have felt as a result of these proceedings, you have shown no humility."
There was no sign of emotion from Becker as the sentence was handed down.

His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw QC, said the six-time Grand Slam champion would "not be able to find work" and will now have to "rely on the charity of others if he is to survive".

Becker's "fall from grace" is "the most public humiliation", Mr Laidlaw added.

"Boris Becker has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers and that is correctly termed as nothing short of a tragedy," he went on.

"These proceedings have destroyed his career entirely and ruined any further prospect of earning an income.
"His reputation is in tatters."

Becker, who won the men's singles at Wimbledon three times, told jurors his $50m (about £38m) career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce from his first wife, Barbara Becker, child maintenance payments and "expensive lifestyle commitments".

He said he was "shocked" and "embarrassed" after he was declared bankrupt on 21 June 2017.

The German national, who has lived in the UK since 2012, insisted he had co-operated with trustees tasked with securing his assets, even offering up his wedding ring, and had acted on expert advice from advisers who managed his life.

However Becker, who was supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and eldest son Noah, was found guilty of four charges.

The court heard Becker received €1.13m (about £950,000) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into a business account used as a "piggy bank" for his personal expenses.

Becker was found guilty of transferring €427,00 (£356,000) to nine recipients, including the accounts of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker, the mother of his fourth child.

He was further convicted of failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen, hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan on the house as well as 75,000 shares in tech firm Breaking Data Corp.

SKY NEWS
 
Lilly Becker has revealed telling her 12-year-old son about his father being jail was the "worst thing" she has ever had to do.

"It's always the women who have to clean up the mess," she told the Daily Mail.

Boris Becker, the former three-time Wimbledon tennis champion, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for hiding £2.5m in assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.

The 54-year-old was declared bankrupt in 2017 and owed almost £50m over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

Boris and Lilly Becker were married for nine years and have a son called Amadeus but announced their separation in 2018.

Ms Becker realised she would have to break the news to their son who was not aware his father had been facing a trial at Southwark Crown Court last month.

"My instinct was to say it as it is - your father is in jail. He has f***ed up…But you can't say that to a 12-year-old child, can you?"

Boris Becker: Djokovic 'heartbroken' for former coach after he was jailed for hiding assets

The Dutch model asked a family friend to help her explain the situation to her son in a way that was not too brutal.

"We told him in his play room, where he feels safe. It was one of the worst things I've ever had to do," she told the Mail.

"I will never forget looking into his blue eyes, as blue as Boris's, and watching them just go from left to right and back again.

"He was flabbergasted. He just couldn't get a grip on it."

German-born Becker had been detained at Wandsworth prison, only a few miles away from his ex-wife's home in Wimbledon.

The former world number one tennis player has been transferred to HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire according to The Times.

It is a prison used to detain foreign criminals, indicating he may be deported from the UK at the end of his sentence.

Ms Becker, 45, added: "I know [Amadeus had] been Googling… I can't stop him, can I?

"Amadeus is doing better now. He's asking questions - What will Papa be eating? Will he be able to watch films?"

Becker is reported to have complained about the food and lack of hygiene in prison.

SKY
 
<I>“Becker is reported to have complained about the food and lack of hygiene in prison.”</I>

Well yes Boris, it’s not meant to be one of your swanky London hotel suites.

The fool should have managed his money better and shouldn’t have lied when he got caught out.
 
<I>“Becker is reported to have complained about the food and lack of hygiene in prison.”</I>

Well yes Boris, it’s not meant to be one of your swanky London hotel suites.

The fool should have managed his money better and shouldn’t have lied when he got caught out.

He was in Wanno? Yeah, it’s grim. Looks like Mordor from the outside. Used to be a hanging jail, too. Misery of centuries is blasted into the walls.
 
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What a way to end up. He was a great player for a while, but beyond the tennis, a bit of a dumbo.
 
What a fall from grace. From a 17 year-old Wimbledon champion to 2.5 years in jail.
 
One feels that Becker gained such magnificent success so early in his life that the “admin” side of things and looking after his own personal and financial affairs competently may will be skills that he never fully learned, and it’s now seemingly come back to haunt him.
 
Boris Becker 'released from jail and will be deported from UK'

Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been released from jail today and will be deported from the UK, according to the PA news agency.

He served just eight months of a two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts when he went bankrupt.

The German has lived in the UK since 2012 but now faces being kicked out of the country.

Becker is thought to qualify for automatic deportation as he received a sentence of 12 months of more and is not thought to have British citizenship.

His release is earlier than expected - it was originally believed he would serve half his term.

The 55-year-old was reportedly being held at the lower security Huntercombe Prison near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, after previously being jailed at Wandsworth Prison in London.

Becker was declared bankrupt in 2017 and owed almost £50m over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca.

He was found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands from his business account to others and failing to declare a property in his hometown in Germany.

The German was also convicted of hiding an €825,000 (£710,000) bank loan and 75,000 shares in a tech firm.

Becker denied the charges but the judge said he'd not shown any remorse or acceptance of his guilt.

The former world number one told jurors his $50m (£40m) career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce from his first wife, child maintenance payments and "expensive lifestyle commitments".

In 2002, he was also convicted of tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany.

Becker speaks about the turmoil of the latest case in a clip released this week for an Apple TV+ documentary.

Showing him before the sentencing in April, he says: "I've hit my (rock) bottom, I don't know what to make of it.

"I (will) face (my sentence), I'm not going to hide or run away. (I will) accept whatever sentence I'm going to get.

"It's Wednesday afternoon and (on) Friday I know the rest of my life."

His fall from grace is documented in the two-part programme that also looks at Becker's turbulent personal life and his tennis career, which included three Wimbledon titles.

Becker's family as well as players past and present, such as Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe, also appear.

https://news.sky.com/story/boris-becker-released-from-jail-and-will-be-deported-from-uk-12768591
 
"Extremely Dirty, Extremely Dangerous": Boris Becker's Jail Experience

Former tennis superstar Boris Becker said he relied on "blood brothers" to protect him in a British prison and said his life was threatened twice in his first interview since being released.

The 55-year-old German was deported to Germany after being released last week having served eight months of a two and a half years sentence for flouting insolvency rules by hiding £2.5 million ($3.1 million) of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

He had been declared bankrupt in June 2017, owing creditors £50 million over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate on the Spanish island of Majorca.

In an often emotional three hour interview with German broadcaster Sat.1 the former tennis world number one said the nights in Wandsworth Prison -- not far from where he won the Wimbledon title three times -- were "atrocious."

He said he was fortunate to have forged close ties with a group of inmates he termed "blood brothers" as two prisoners he called 'John' and 'Ike' on separate occasions had threatened him.

'John', serving 25 years for multiple murders, threatened to harm him if he did not give him money.

'Ike' got him on his own and Becker says 10 prisoners "saved my life" rescuing him when he yelled out.

"And then the next day Ike asked if I would accept his apology," said Becker.

"I could have rejected it.

"I encountered him in the laundry. He threw himself down to the ground and begged me for forgiveness.

"I raised him to his feet and hugged him.

"And I told him that I had great respect for him," added a tearful Becker.

Becker says he would remain in contact with those who protected him.

"When you have fought for survival together, that brings you together," he said.

"We needed each other."

'The best beer'

Becker says the sound of the cell door closing will stay for him for the rest of his life.

"When the cell door closes, then there is nothing left. The loneliest moment I've had in my life."

"The nights were atrocious.

"You could hear the screams from people trying to kill themselves or harm themselves, and people trading swear words.

"You don't sleep."

He described the prison as "extremely dirty and extremely dangerous . . . there were murderers, child abusers, drug dealers, every kind of criminal you can imagine".

The six-time Grand Slam champion claims it required the German ambassador to intervene to obtain an international phone card so he could contact his 87-year-old mother Elvira and other family abroad.

Gradually his conditions improved he taught English and mathematics to a class of 30 inmates and then gained a move to the lower security Huntercombe prison near Oxford, southern England.

However, the governor there declined to permit his friend and compatriot Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to visit him.

"Jurgen Klopp and Johannes B. Kerner (German TV presenter) -- they wanted to visit me in Huntercombe prison," he said.

"So I gave the names -- but the governor said: 'Jurgen is not allowed to visit you, he is too well known. We are concerned for his safety. So we have to reject that.'"

Becker qualified for deportation after being released as he is not a British citizen and received a custodial sentence of more than 12 months.

Becker says a friend had chartered a private plane to fly him to Stuttgart once they knew he would be released and he had gone to stay with a married couple near Heidelberg not far from his home town Leimen.

"Then I drank my first beer," he said.

"Believe me, it was the best beer of my life."

Becker said the traumatic saga had taught him lessons and prison was the last step on his path to becoming a "cleverer and humbler" man.

As for what the future held and where he would live Becker said it was unlikely to be Germany.

"I can't say where I'm going now," he said.

"I don't think it will be Germany. I don't know if I'll stay in Europe -- perhaps Miami. I'm also a big fan of Dubai.

"I've become cautious with my statements about the future."

NDTV
 
Former tennis superstar Boris Becker said he relied on "blood brothers" to protect him in a British prison and said his life was threatened twice in his first interview since being released.

The 55-year-old German was deported to Germany after being released last week having served eight months of a two and a half years sentence for flouting insolvency rules by hiding £2.5 million ($3.1 million) of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

He had been declared bankrupt in June 2017, owing creditors £50 million over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate on the Spanish island of Majorca.

In an often emotional three hour interview with German broadcaster Sat.1 the former tennis world number one said the nights in Wandsworth Prison -- not far from where he won the Wimbledon title three times -- were "atrocious."

He said he was fortunate to have forged close ties with a group of inmates he termed "blood brothers" as two prisoners he called 'John' and 'Ike' on separate occasions had threatened him.

'John', serving 25 years for multiple murders, threatened to harm him if he did not give him money.

'Ike' got him on his own and Becker says 10 prisoners "saved my life" rescuing him when he yelled out.

"And then the next day Ike asked if I would accept his apology," said Becker.

"I could have rejected it.

"I encountered him in the laundry. He threw himself down to the ground and begged me for forgiveness.

"I raised him to his feet and hugged him.

"And I told him that I had great respect for him," added a tearful Becker.

Becker says he would remain in contact with those who protected him.

"When you have fought for survival together, that brings you together," he said.

"We needed each other."

'The best beer'

Becker says the sound of the cell door closing will stay for him for the rest of his life.

"When the cell door closes, then there is nothing left. The loneliest moment I've had in my life."

"The nights were atrocious.

"You could hear the screams from people trying to kill themselves or harm themselves, and people trading swear words.

"You don't sleep."

He described the prison as "extremely dirty and extremely dangerous . . . there were murderers, child abusers, drug dealers, every kind of criminal you can imagine".

The six-time Grand Slam champion claims it required the German ambassador to intervene to obtain an international phone card so he could contact his 87-year-old mother Elvira and other family abroad.

Gradually his conditions improved he taught English and mathematics to a class of 30 inmates and then gained a move to the lower security Huntercombe prison near Oxford, southern England.

However, the governor there declined to permit his friend and compatriot Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to visit him.

"Jurgen Klopp and Johannes B. Kerner (German TV presenter) -- they wanted to visit me in Huntercombe prison," he said.

"So I gave the names -- but the governor said: 'Jurgen is not allowed to visit you, he is too well known. We are concerned for his safety. So we have to reject that.'"

Becker qualified for deportation after being released as he is not a British citizen and received a custodial sentence of more than 12 months.

Becker says a friend had chartered a private plane to fly him to Stuttgart once they knew he would be released and he had gone to stay with a married couple near Heidelberg not far from his home town Leimen.

"Then I drank my first beer," he said.

"Believe me, it was the best beer of my life."

Becker said the traumatic saga had taught him lessons and prison was the last step on his path to becoming a "cleverer and humbler" man.

As for what the future held and where he would live Becker said it was unlikely to be Germany.

"I can't say where I'm going now," he said.

"I don't think it will be Germany. I don't know if I'll stay in Europe -- perhaps Miami. I'm also a big fan of Dubai.

NDTV
 
Tennis great Boris Becker says he is building his life's "third chapter" following his release from prison.

The 55-year-old German served eight months of his two-and-a-half-year sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

He was released in December and was subsequently deported from the UK.

"I'm usually good in the fifth set - I've won the first two sets, I've lost the next two and I'm planning to win that," he told 5 Live Breakfast.

In a lengthy interview, former world number one Becker said:

The full interview will be played on Saturday's 5 Live Breakfast show.

'Whoever says prison life isn't hard is lying'

The six-time Grand Slam singles champion, who was catapulted to stardom in 1985 when he won Wimbledon aged just 17, was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act in April last year.

The case centred on Becker's bankruptcy in June 2017 resulting from an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his luxury estate in Mallorca, Spain.

Speaking before the release of a new TV documentary about his life and career, Becker said: "I don't think there was a handbook written for how to behave, what to do and how to live your life when you win Wimbledon at 17.

"The fame and fortune after was very new.

"Obviously I never studied business, I never studied finance and after my tennis career I made a couple of decisions probably badly advised but again it was my decision."

After sentencing, Becker spent the first weeks of his detention at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, before spending the majority of his sentence at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire.

"Whoever says that prison life isn't hard and isn't difficult I think is lying," the three-time Wimbledon champion said.

"I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals.

"You fight every day for survival. Quickly you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection."

Becker said being a legendary tennis player counted for nothing while he was in prison.

"If you think you're better than everybody else then you lose," he said.

"Inside it doesn't matter that I was a tennis player, the only currency we have inside is our character and our personality. That's it, you have nothing else.

"You don't have any friends at first, you're literally on your own and that's the hard part, you have to really dig inside yourself about your qualities and your strengths but also your weaknesses."

'I miss London'

Following his release, Becker was deported to Germany and will not be allowed to return to UK soil until October 2024.

"I miss London, I really miss Wimbledon and I won't be going there this year," he said

"I'm fortunate that I can stand on my feet, none of my partners have dropped me, they've welcomed me back home.

"When you're down, and the last five, six years were very difficult for me, you truly find out who's with you and who's not with you."

Speaking about how he has been received by people since his release, he said: "Nobody's perfect including myself and I've accepted all of that.

"I've been out now for three and a half months and I'm very humbled again by the reception I've received from fans, from people on the street from people who have followed the story a little bit."

The former BBC pundit says he has been in dialogue with the BBC about being part of its Wimbledon coverage in the future.

"I've told them I can't come back next year," Becker said.

"If I'm allowed to go back I will make a phone call and ask if they want me back on the team, I would certainly love to but it's not my decision."

'I'm a stronger, better man'

Becker believes he has learned valuable lessons from his time in prison.

"I never thought at 17 I'd be incarcerated at 54," he said.

"If anything it certainly humbled me, it certainly made me realise that whether you're called Boris Becker or Paul Smith, if you break the law, you get convicted and you get incarcerated, that goes for everybody.

"I never expected the good and I certainly didn't expect the bad but I'm a survivor, I'm a tough cookie, I've taken the penalties, I've taken the incarceration but I've also taken the glory and if anything this made me a stronger, better man.

"With my decisions in the future you can see whether I have learned from it or I didn't."

BBC
 
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker says he's been “humbled” by his time in prison, and hopes to return to the UK in future.
 
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