Boris Becker spent eight months in a UK prison
Becker pictured before his sentencing in April of this year. © Tayfun Salci / DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker is set to be issued with deportation orders from the United Kingdom following his release from prison after a conviction for hiding assets during a bankruptcy investigation.
Becker, who at 17 became the youngest-ever winner at Wimbledon, served eight months of a two-and-a-half year sentence after he was found to have obscured £2.5 million ($3.08 million) from investigators.
The German was released from custody earlier than expected, as it was believed that he would be required to serve half of his term at lower security Huntercombe Prison and, before then, Wandsworth Prison in London.
Becker has lived in the UK since 2012. But according to reports, the 55-year-old is set to be evicted from the UK after qualifying for automatic deportation due to being sentenced to a jail term in excess of 12 months, and the fact that he does not have British citizenship.
Becker declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid reported debts in excess of £50 million ($61.5 million) and was found to have transferred large sums to other accounts, as well as failing to declare a residence of his in Germany.
He was also convicted of hiding shares he had purchased in a tech firm.
Becker, who denied the charges against him, was told by a judge that he has not displayed any remorse or acknowledgement of his actions.
He noted in his defense that he has parted with vast sums of money due to a divorce settlement, as well as what was described as “expensive lifestyle commitments.”
Becker had previously been convicted of tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany.
Before his sentencing in April, the six-time Grand Slam winner said that the allegations against him had taken an extreme toll.
“I’ve hit my (rock) bottom, I don’t know what to make of it,” he said.
“I (will) face (my sentence), I’m not going to hide or run away. (I will) accept whatever sentence I’m going to get.”
