The British government confirmed the release of former German tennis player Boris Becker from a British prison. Baker, 55, who has been behind bars since the beginning of this year on bankruptcy fraud charges, will likely be deported from the country soon.
The six-time Grand Slam champion was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court in April this year for withholding more than 2.5 million euros after declaring bankruptcy. Becker had an outstanding loan of more than 3 million euros after purchasing his property on the Spanish island of Mallorca. He is said to have been in the red with his creditors for a total of around €60 million. He had previously been convicted of tax evasion in 2002. For this reason, he received a suspended prison sentence in his home country.
Baker only had to serve eight months of his sentence in England. Becker was expected to serve half his sentence in prison, but the German was immediately released and will be deported from the country. So Baker leaves the UK years later. The great German tennis player has been living in England since 2012.
The 55-year-old former tennis player was eligible for automatic deportation because he is a foreigner who does not hold a British passport and because he has been imprisoned for more than 12 months.
Grand Slam
Becker won Wimbledon for the first time in 1985 when he was 17 years old. The German was also crowned winner in London in 1986 and 1989. He also won the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996, and won the US Open in 1989.
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