Verdict in London: Boris Becker must go to jail

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D.Former tennis star Boris Becker has to go to prison. A London court has sentenced the three-time Wimbledon winner to two and a half years in prison, of which he must serve at least half.

The former exceptional athlete had not disclosed assets worth more than one million euros in his insolvency proceedings. A jury found Becker guilty of several charges three weeks ago. The 54-year-old had denied the allegations. He can appeal the sentence.

Secular judges at London’s Southwark Crown Court had discovered that Becker had hid ownership of a property in his hometown of Leimen, illegally transferred large sums to other accounts, and hid stock in an artificial intelligence company and a loan debt.

The prosecutor had raised a total of 24 charges against Becker. Attorney Rebecca Chalkley discovered that she had deliberately hidden numerous assets and was now blaming her advisers, who he said had managed her finances. The tennis legend’s advocate had said his client was naive but innocent. The jury followed this line of argument in 20 points, including on the issue of missing trophies. But the guilty verdict on four counts is enough to fundamentally change Becker’s life.

“They stole property, they hid it”

Becker, who lives in London, was declared bankrupt in 2017. He later had to reveal his assets to the bankruptcy trustees, but according to the court he left out important parts. Among other things, Judge Deborah Taylor stated in her verdict: “I have considered the objections that have been advanced on your behalf. But you made personal use of the corporate account. They stole property, they hid it. So much money has been lost ”.

Friday’s session opened around 13:00 German time and ran for a long time. Following the pleadings of the prosecution and the defense, Judge Taylor ordered a lunch break and announced his sentence for 4:00 pm. Becker, who appeared in a gray suit and tie in Wimbledon purple and green colors, had to be patient for a while longer. He sat petrified in the courtroom before Taylor appeared nearly half an hour late and finally announced his verdict.

After the announcement, Becker stood up with a steady gaze, grabbed a packed bag and was then escorted out of the hallway through a side door by a bailiff. He was taken directly into custody. Son Noah watched in horror.

“The Becker brand is in tatters”

Now the world star is facing the ruins of his existence, as his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw described in emotional closing words. “She is practically gone,” Laidlaw said. Becker will no longer find work and depends on the support of others. “The Becker brand is in tatters,” Laidlaw points out. The procedure is already the greatest possible public humiliation.

The three-time Wimbledon winner had raised around $ 25 million in prize money during his career and, according to his own estimates, earned about the same amount from advertising. However, he had financial problems. Becker accused in court the costly divorce from ex-wife Barbara and the high costs of supporting his daughter Anna Ermakowa.

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“Isn’t that a pity?”

Among other things, Becker comments on tennis tournaments for the BBC and is very popular with the British. His partner Lilian De Carvalho Monteiro accompanied him to court every day, more recently at her side was also her eldest son Noah. The two were also present on Friday.

The president of the German Tennis Association (DTB), Dietloff von Arnim, had reaffirmed his loyalty to Becker before the announcement of the sentence. On Friday Arnim said on the sidelines of the Munich clay tournament that he had “undeniably been a tremendous success” for German tennis. “We are there, I would say, faithful to our tennis icon”.