Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker could work as a fitness instructor in prison after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison for hiding £ 2.5 million in assets and loans to avoid paying off his debts.
Becker, 54, arrived at HMP Wandsworth on Friday, a Category B jail just 2.4 miles from Center Court, where he won three tennis titles after receiving a 30-month sentence – probably only half of which will be served – at Southwark Crown Court earlier in the day.
A former prison manager has said that the disgraced tennis star will become a good fitness instructor if he is interested in taking a job while in prison.
Jerry Peterick told The Sun: “Gyms are very popular in prisons – it’s a job that many prisoners want.”
But it is unlikely that Becker will soon be able to enter such a role.
And the tennis star can last only 10 months – and spend the rest of his sentence with an electronic label – if the authorities decide to release him in the middle of his term, writes The Mirror.
The new inmates at Wandsworth Prison were forced to remain in the prison’s “induction wing” for seven to ten days after their arrival due to ongoing Covid restrictions.
Becker can then be transferred to the general population, but new inmates usually have to be in prison for at least six weeks, showing good behavior before being considered for job roles.
Wandsworth is also a remand prison used to temporarily hold criminals who were later transferred to serve their sentences elsewhere, which means Becker is unlikely to serve his entire prison there.
Another Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray, said he was sorry for Becker, but added: “I don’t think you should get special treatment for who you are or what you’ve accomplished.”
Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker could work as a fitness instructor in prison after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison for hiding £ 2.5 million in assets and loans to avoid paying off his debts
Boris Becker arrives at the Southwark Crown Court on April 29, 2022 in London, England. Six-time Grand Slam tennis champion Boris Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being found guilty of four charges under the Bankruptcy Act related to his bankruptcy in 2017.
The main entrance to HMP Wandsworth, London, United Kingdom. HMP Wandsworth in South West London was built in 1851 and is one of the largest prisons in Western Europe. It has a capacity of about 1,500 prisoners, but is known to be in poor condition and infected with rats.
Boris, pictured in Wimbledon in June 1993, just 2.4 miles from his Wansworth Jail cell, was declared bankrupt in June 2017, owing creditors almost £ 50 million in unpaid loans of more than £ 3 million. pounds at his mansion in Mallorca, Spain
Former Wimbledon tennis champion Boris Becker won three Grand Slam titles on the central court (Becker pictured 17 in 1985)
The former professional athlete was found to have hidden £ 2.5 million in assets and loans to avoid paying his debts, and on Friday began his sentence, which he must serve for at least a year and three months.
He was declared bankrupt in June 2017, owing creditors almost £ 50 million for an unpaid loan of over £ 3 million at his mansion in Mallorca, Spain.
He transferred around £ 390,000 from his business account to others, including those of his ex-wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Charlie “Lily” Becker.
Becker also failed to declare his £ 1 million stake in his hometown of Leimen, Germany, hid a bank loan of almost £ 700,000 – worth £ 1.1 million with interest – and hid 75,000 shares in a technology company. worth £ 66,000.
The 54-year-old man, who received a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion worth £ 1.4 million in Germany in 2002, was found guilty on April 8 of four breaches of the Insolvency Act between June and October 2017
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. On Friday afternoon, Judge Deborah Taylor sentenced the six-time Grand Slam champion to 30 months in prison, of which he will serve at least half.
Wandsworth Prison is a Category B secure prison that can accommodate more than 1,500 inmates. A recent inspection described the institution as “decaying, overpopulated and infested with parasites”.
Friends and close contacts of the former tennis star reacted with concern about his imprisonment, as his biographer wondered if he would “survive mentally”, and a German TV star said that he “should take responsibility” for his actions.
After Becker was convicted, Christian Schomers, who wrote a biography of the tennis legend, said he was worried about him.
The 50-year-old man told the German newspaper Bild last night: “Will he survive mentally by being in prison for a year and three months? This is really, very bad!
Joachim Lambi, a star of the German television series Just Dance, told the same newspaper: “I find this very sad. He is a legend in Germany. But the court found that something was not as it should be. Then he must take responsibility for it.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, said he was “heartbroken” in the closure of Becker, a former coach of the Serbian tennis star.
Becker remained high profile after retiring through his work as a television expert and successful coach of Djokovic for three years since December 2013.
Novak Djokovic talks about his broken heart from the imprisonment of former coach Boris Becker
The German has been Djokovic’s coach for a successful three-year stay since December 2013
Andy Murray admits he “had no emotion” for Boris Becker after being sentenced to prison
Speaking to reporters in the Spanish capital before the Madrid Open, Djokovic said: “Just with a broken heart for him. He is a friend, a longtime friend, a coach for three or four years, someone I consider close in my life and who has contributed a lot to my success in my career.
“I will not go into details about the sentence because I am not able to do it, but as his friend I am very sad for him. Not much you can say.
I hope that he will go through this period in which he has to be in prison and that when he comes out he will be able to live his life – I don’t know if we will use the word “normal” because life is definitely changing for everyone goes to jail, especially for so long.
Andy Murray, on the other hand, remained more stoic on the issue, suggesting he did not have much sympathy for the three-time Wimbledon champion.
In the eyes of the 34-year-old Scot, Becker must take responsibility for his actions.
“I didn’t feel particularly emotional about it,” Murray said when asked about his reaction to the news.
“He broke the law, and if you do, I don’t think you should get special treatment for who you are or what you’ve accomplished. Again, I am sorry that he is in this situation, but I am also sorry for the people who are also affected by his decisions and what happened to them.
“I hope he is well and learns from his mistakes. But I didn’t have much emotion about it.
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