HAMBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 22: Boris Becker, Head of Men's Tennis Germany is giving a press conference during Round One of the Hamburg European Open 2020at Rothenbaum on September 22, 2020 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for matchmaker)
Why is Boris Becker jailed? Earlier on Friday, reports stated that the Tennis legend had been put behind bars.
The tennis fraternity was left in shock on Friday after it was revealed that Boris Becker had been put in jail. The six-time Grand Slam winner has been jailed for two years and six months. However, several tennis fans have been curious to know why Becker had been put behind bars.
According to reports from CNN, Becker has been jailed for flouting the terms of his bankruptcy in 2017, as per the UK’s Insolvency Service. The former World No.1 had initially faced a maximum prison sentence of seven years.
Becker was handed a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth €1.7m in Germany in 2002. But at the time, he pleaded not guilty.
In court on Friday, Judge Deborah Taylor spoke about Becker’s case and said “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. You have not shown remorse, or 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.”
Becker has been found guilty of four charges by a jury at Southwark crown court this month but acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy. The 54-year-old’s bankruptcy stemmed from a €4.6m loan from a private bank in 2013, as well as about $1.6m borrowed from a British businessman the year after, according to testimony at the trial.
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