Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act – but cleared of 20 over 2017 bankruptcy
- Six-time Grand Slam champion denied giving bankruptcy officials ‘runaround’
- Becker was accused of failing to hand over a number of awards when bankrupt
- He won 49 singles titles in 77 finals over 16 years and had denied 24 charges
- Becker was acquitted of 20 of them but found guilty of four offences
Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker has been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of four charges under the Insolvency Act and acquitted of a further 20 counts relating to his 2017 bankruptcy.
The six-time Grand Slam champion, 54, was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying his debts.
Former world number one Becker was declared bankrupt on June 21 2017 over an unpaid loan of more than £3 million on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
The German national, who has lived in the UK since 2012, claimed he had cooperated with trustees tasked with securing his assets, even offering up his wedding ring, and had acted on expert advice.
Becker denied all 24 charges and was acquitted of 20 but found guilty of four today
Some of his trophies were auctioned off for £700,000 to pay his debts and he has made various appeals to try to locate them
Becker, who was supported throughout the trial by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, including removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate and concealing debt.
The three-time Wimbledon winner, who was acquitted of a further 20 counts, was bailed ahead of sentencing at the same court on April 29.
In his closing speech, his defence barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC had told jurors that Mr Becker relied heavily on advisors after he became famous and rich following his success.
Mr Laidlaw stressed that this continued throughout his life and that at the time of the bankruptcy Becker’s life was managed ‘chaotically’ by advisors.
Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London this week alongside partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiroover
A court artist’s sketch of Boris Becker (far right) in the witness box being questioned by his barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC (left). His partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiroover can be seen in the foreground, and prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley on the left
Former tennis player Boris Becker is being supported at court with his partner Lilian
He said: ‘Some of those advisors were offering genuine good advice intended to be in the defendant’s best interest – others, as may be the way of the world, may have simply wanted a slice of the pie his fame and fortune offered.’
Mr Laidlaw said that Becker was ‘too trusting and reliant’ on the advice given to him by the ‘numerous advisers’ that surround him.
Jurors heard that there was an element of Becker ‘burying his head in the sand’ when it came to matters of money and finance.
Referring to Becker’s bankruptcy proceedings, Mr Laidlaw said: ‘He is facing, in a country where English is not his mother tongue, a process of which he has no experience.’
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