- Draft
- BBC News World
Boris Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion, was sentenced by a British court on Friday to two and a half years in prison for defaulting on more than $ 3 million in assets and debt.
Becker, 54, was convicted under four sections of the British Bankruptcy Act.
The lawsuit alleges that Becker filed for bankruptcy in June 2017 after failing to pay more than $ 3.7 million for Becker’s luxury residence on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Judge Deborah Taylor, a former German tennis player and former world number one, said she did not regret or accept the charge.
Referring to Becker’s two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion in Germany in 2002, the judge said: “He did not heed the warning and the suspension offered to him.
“You tried to distance yourself from his guilt and his bankruptcy. Although I accept his humiliation as part of the process, there is no humility.”
Guilty in four categories
Earlier this month, an arbitral tribunal found Becker guilty of two counts of theft, non-disclosure of his assets and concealment of debt.
He was acquitted of 20 other charges, including nine, for failing to hand over his tennis trophies and medals.
Becker, the winner of six Grand Slam tournaments, faces up to half of his 30-month sentence, according to the Daily Mail.
His lawyer, Jonathan Lightla, told the court that the tennis star’s “fall from grace” had “tarnished his reputation.”
“There is nothing and nothing to show that Boris Becker had a great playing career. It was a tragedy.”
“This process has completely ruined his life and ruined his future prospects for earning an income.”
Now you can get notifications from BBC World. Download the latest version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our great content.