Boris Becker accused of failing to hand over Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies when bankrupt

AP
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tennis legend Boris Becker is accused of failing to hand over his sporting trophies including the 1985 Wimbledon men’s single title during his bankruptcy proceedings, new court documents have revealed.

The 52-year-old is accused of hiding assets when he was declared bankrupt in June 2017, allegedly failing to comply with obligations to disclose information.

Becker appeared for a plea hearing at Southwark crown court this morning when new details of the charges he faces emerged.

It is said he did not hand over the Wimbledon trophy from his maiden triumph as a 17-year-old, as well as a 1989 Wimbledon prize and his Australian Open trophies in 1991 and 1996.

Becker, wearing a dark grey suit, blue tie and a black face mask bearing the Puma sports brand motif and the message Stronger Together, spoke to confirm his name, to enter his pleas, and that he understood that a warrant would be issued for his arrest if he absconded on bail.

Becker at a previous hearing
PA

He pleaded not guilty to all counts and was told his trial will take place in September next year.

Earlier, the retired sportsman and television presenter appeared to take a selfie as he entered the court building, in front of scores of assembled international journalists and photographers.

The star’s lawyer, Jonathan Caplan QC, told the hearing: “He is determined to face and contest these charges and restore his reputation in relation to the allegations made against him.”

Becker is accused of concealing more than £1million held in bank accounts, as well as property both abroad and in the UK.

It is said he failed while bankrupt to disclose his interest in a Chelsea property, as well as in other properties in his home town of Leimen in Germany.

Becker is also accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, including to former wife Barbara Becker, and estranged wife Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Becker.

It is also alleged he hid his holding of shares in a firm called Breaking Data Corp.

Becker was released on bail ahead of his trial next year, which is due to last up to four weeks.

The former world number one and six-time Grand Slam champion collected 49 singles titles out of 77 finals during his 16 years as a professional tennis player.

He was picked to enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003, and has been a commentator on the BBC and at tennis tournaments around the world.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in