Becker jailed for concealing assets

Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years for hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.

The former world number one, 54, was declared bankrupt on June 21 2017, owing creditors almost £50m, over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

BBC commentator Becker transferred almost 427,000 euros (around £390,000) from his business account to others, including those of his exwife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.

The father-of-four also failed to declare his share in a £1m property in his home town of Leimen, Germany, hid an 825,000 euro (almost £700,000) bank loan – worth £1.1m with interest – and concealed 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000.

Becker, who was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth 1.7m euros (around £1.4m) in Germany in 2002, was found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act between June 21 and October 3 2017 earlier this month.

Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the six-time Grand Slam champion to two and a half years imprisonment, of which he will serve half, at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.

Referring to his previous conviction, the judge said: “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.”

She told Becker: “I take into account what has been described as your fall from grace.

“You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy.”

But she added: “You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy.”

Becker, wearing a striped tie in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green, tied his shoelaces on his black Puma trainers but showed no emotion as he picked up his Puma bag before being taken down to the cells.

He earlier arrived holding the hand of partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, while his eldest son Noah was also in court.

Following his retirement, the tennis star has coached current world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, worked as a TV sports commentator for broadcasters including the BBC and acted as a brand ambassador for firms such as Puma.

His barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC said the tennis star’s “fall from grace” was “the most public humiliation”.

“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 said.

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

Becker told jurors his 50m US dollar (about £38m) career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce to his first wife Barbara, child maintenance payments and “expensive lifestyle commitments”.

Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said the jury had found he acted “deliberately and dishonestly” but added: “Even now, Mr Becker is still seeking to blame others when it was obviously his duty.”