Tennis legend Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years for hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans while avoid paying his debts.
On Friday (29 April) the six-time Grand Slam singles champion was sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment of which he will serve half, at Southwark Crown Court.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was declared bankrupt on June 21 2017.
BREAKING: Tennis champion Boris Becker has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison after being found guilty of bankruptcy offences.
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The 54-year-old reportedly owed creditors almost £50 million because of an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
He was said to have transferred 427,000 euros (£390,000) from his business account to his wife and ex-wife, as well as others.
The commentator failed to declare his share in a £1m property in his home town of Leimen, Germany.
He also hid an 825,000 euro (£700,000) bank loan worth £1.1m with interest, along with 75,000 shares in a tech firm, valued at £66,000.
Becker was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion attempted tax evasion worth 1.7million euro (£1.4m) in Germany in 2002.
The sports icon was also found guilty of four offences under the Insolvency Act between June 21 and October 3 2017.
BREAKING: A judge serves six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker with a prison sentence after being found guilty of hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of assets. Wearing his Wimbledon tie in the dock the former tennis player was given 2.5 years in jail @Channel4News
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Referring to his previous conviction, Judge Deborah Taylor 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.
“While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility.”
Words by Anish Vij
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
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