Six-time Grand Slam champion reported his $50m vocation earnings had been swallowed up by ‘expensive divorce’ and debts.

German tennis excellent Boris Becker has been sentenced to two and a 50 % decades in jail by a court docket in London for hiding his property from creditors just after he experienced been declared bankrupt.

Judge Deborah Taylor handed down the sentence on Friday after listening to arguments from the prosecutor and Becker’s lawyer at Southwark Crown Court.

Becker, who was formerly provided a two-calendar year suspended sentence for tax evasion and tried tax evasion in Germany in 2002, was found responsible of 4 offences less than the United Kingdom’s Insolvency Act previously this month.

“You did not heed the warning you had been offered and the chance you were being specified by the suspended sentence and that is a sizeable aggravating variable,” the choose stated referring to Becker’s preceding conviction.

“I get into account what has been described as your fall from grace,” the choose continued.

“You have shed your occupation and popularity and all of your property as a outcome of your bankruptcy.”

But she included: “You have not revealed regret, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance you from your offending and your bankruptcy.”

“While I take the humiliation you have felt as a result of these proceedings, you have demonstrated no humility.”

Becker’s individual bankruptcy stemmed from a 4.6 million euro ($5m) mortgage from a non-public lender in 2013, as very well as about $1.6m borrowed from a British businessman the calendar year after, in accordance to testimony at the demo.

Throughout the demo, Becker said his $50m vocation earnings had been swallowed up by payments for an “expensive divorce” and money owed when he shed massive chunks of his earnings after retirement.

The 54-calendar year-outdated German was uncovered to have transferred hundreds of countless numbers of lbs following his June 2017 individual bankruptcy from his small business account to other accounts, which include people of his ex-spouse Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.

He was also convicted of failing to declare a house in Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro ($871,000) financial institution bank loan and shares in a tech agency.

The jury acquitted Becker on 20 other counts, like charges that he unsuccessful to hand in excess of assets, such as two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.

‘Public humiliation’

Becker, donning a striped tie in Wimbledon’s purple and eco-friendly colours, walked into the court hand-in-hand with girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. He confirmed no emotion ahead of remaining taken down to the cells.

The six-time Grand Slam winner experienced denied all the rates, saying he experienced cooperated with trustees tasked with securing his belongings – even supplying up his marriage ring – and experienced acted on professional assistance.

At Friday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley reported Becker experienced acted “deliberately and dishonestly” and that he was “still in search of to blame others”.

Defence law firm Jonathan Laidlaw argued for leniency, declaring his consumer had not put in dollars on a “lavish lifestyle” but fairly on kid support, hire and lawful and enterprise charges. Becker, he told the court docket, has experienced “public humiliation” and has no upcoming earnings potential.

“Boris Becker has pretty much practically nothing and there is also nothing at all to show for what was the most glittering of sporting occupations and that is correctly termed as absolutely nothing limited of a tragedy,” he explained.

Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he turned the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title and later on turned the world’s leading male tennis participant.

He has lived in the United kingdom considering that 2012.