Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker jailed for 2 and a half years - here's why

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.
By Matthew Mohan-Hickson
Published 29th Apr 2022, 15:58 BST
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The former world number one, 54, was declared bankrupt on June 21 2017, owing creditors almost £50 million, over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

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

Boris Becker arrives alongside partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, in London. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA WireBoris Becker arrives alongside partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, in London. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
Boris Becker arrives alongside partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, in London. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
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The father-of-four also failed to declare his share in a £1 million property in his home town of Leimen, Germany, hid an 825,000 euro (almost £700,000) bank loan – worth £1.1 million with interest – and concealed 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000.

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Becker, who was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth 1.7 million euro (around £1.4 million) 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 on Friday.