Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Boris Becker freed from UK prison

Boris Becker freed from UK prison

Former tennis great, jailed for hiding assets after declaring bankruptcy, to be deported
German tennis star Boris Becker has been freed from a British prison and will be deported from the country, PA Media reported on Thursday.

Britain’s Ministry of Justice confirmed he had been released. The Home Office did not immediately respond to comment when asked about his deportation.

The 55-year-old six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed in April for two years and six months by a London court for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after he was declared bankrupt.

He had previously been convicted of tax evasion in Germany in 2002, for which he received a suspended prison sentence.

The former tennis great won his first Wimbledon final in 1985 at age 17, becoming the youngest and first unseeded player to claim the men’s singles title. He went on to two win more Wimbledon titles.

Becker had denied all the charges in relation to the London court proceedings, saying he had cooperated with the bankruptcy proceedings — even offering up his wedding ring — and had relied on his advisers.

He was originally required to serve at least 15 months of his sentence but reportedly received an early release as part of a programme designed to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons.

Nicknamed “Boom, Boom” for his ferocious serve, Becker won 49 singles titles and had career earnings of $50 million.

He retired from playing in 1999 but remained a high-profile figure in the game with a commentary job for the BBC, before switching paths to coach Novak Djokovic to six Grand Slam titles between 2014 and 2016.

But despite the riches he earned during his career, he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

In April, Becker was found guilty of concealing £2.5 million ($3 million) worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.

Becker’s tangled private life has kept him in the headlines, including a daughter conceived in a brief but now famous encounter with a Russian woman at a London restaurant in 1999 while his then wife, Barbara, was pregnant.

He divorced Barbara in 2001 and married Dutch model Sharlely “Lilly” Kerssenberg eight years later in a high-profile event in Switzerland that was broadcast on German television, but the couple separated in 2018

His financial woes also kept him under the media spotlight.

In 2002, a court in Munich sentenced Becker to a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined him for tax evasion.

He was declared bankrupt in 2017 over money owned to Arbuthnot Latham bank.

In a surprising twist, he claimed he was entitled to diplomatic immunity from legal proceedings because of his role as a sporting ambassador for the Central African Republic but abandoned that attempt.

His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw, said at the time of the bankruptcy he was too “trusting and reliant” on his advisers.

While sentencing Becker to time behind bars then, Judge Deborah Taylor said he had lost his “career and reputation”.

She said that while he had doubtlessly been humiliated by the proceedings, “there has been no humility”.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
×