Tennis legend Boris Becker found guilty of four charges in bankruptcy case

Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court

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Tennis legend Boris Becker has been found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act relating to his bankruptcy in 2017. The 54-year-old, who clinched six Grand Slam titles over the course of his professional career, was declared bankrupt five years ago over an unpaid loan of more than £3million on his estate in Spain.

Becker was later accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, in order to cover up his debts. He went on to claim that he had liaised with trustees to secure his assets and had acted on expert advice.

He was found guilty of four charges, including removal of property, two counts of failing to disclose estate and concealing debt, by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Becker was acquitted of a further 20 counts before he was bailed ahead of his sentencing hearing at the same court on April 29.

The former world No 1 now faces a possible jail sentence despite insisting that he did nothing wrong over the course of his trial, during which he was supported throughout by his partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro. He mentioned in his defence that he did not know the difference between his personal and business accounts and had mentioned properties in which he had a stake when it became clear they would be affected.

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Becker’s financial woes stemmed from a series of loans he took out to fund repairs to his holiday home in Mallorca. He was struggling to deal with the fallout of an expensive divorce from his first wife as well as sending payments in support of a love child while continuing to keep up with his luxury lifestyle.

He told the court that he was planning to stave off the threat of bankruptcy with the assistance of a hedge fund, but his hopes were dashed when he was hit with a High Court order back in 2017. He was later investigated over allegations that he had hidden two of his Wimbledon trophies, which are still yet to be found, and had been withdrawing funds in spite of his bankruptcy proceedings.

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