2-and-a-half year prison sentence for Becker

London: Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Friday for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.

The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under the Insolvency Act and had faced a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Judge Deborah Taylor announced the sentence after hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and Becker’s attorney.

After his June 2017 bankruptcy, the 54-year-old Becker was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.

Becker was also convicted of failing to declare a property in Germany, and hiding an 825,000 Euro (US Dollars 871,000) bank loan and shares in a tech firm. The jury at Southwark Crown Court in London acquitted him on 20 other counts, including charges that he failed to hand over many awards, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal. The six-time Grand Slam champion has denied all the charges.