In the criminal trial against Boris Becker, the jury came to a decision on the third day: the jury found the former tennis star guilty of several charges. The jury decided on Friday that the 54-year-old had withheld parts of his assets from his insolvency administrator.
Becker could theoretically face a prison sentence. Becker followed the verdict with a red head. He can still appeal the verdict.
Judge Deborah Taylor called on the jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday afternoon to consider everything heard in the trial and come to a joint decision. The former tennis pro Becker had been accused of not properly specifying real estate, accounts and important trophies in bankruptcy proceedings against him. The 54-year-old had rejected the allegations in court.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley saw the allegations as proven in all 24 counts. Becker deliberately withheld the assets and now blames his advisors, who, according to him, take care of all financial issues, she said in her plea.
Defense attorney Jonathan Laidlaw, on the other hand, emphasized that Becker was naive and had not taken care of his finances. He is lazy but innocent. It is not a crime to rely on advisors. In addition, after his court-ordered private bankruptcy in 2017, his rights and obligations were not made clear to him at an early stage.
The jury has now concluded that he failed to disclose all of his possessions on 4 of 24 counts, contrary to legal requirements. The sentence is to be announced on April 29th.