BORIS Becker says he will not appeal his jail sentence after hiding £2.5million in assets to avoid paying his debts when he went bankrupt.
The disgraced ace, 54, was last month sentenced to two years and six months behind bars after a judge blasted him for his lack of remorse.
Boris Becker will not make a court bid to have his sentence overturned, he confirmed tonight
The former world number one was jailed last month for hiding millions in assets after declaring bankruptcy
And while it’s understood he was previously confident he’d be walking free by Christmas, he has today confirmed he will “accept” the verdict.
In his first statement since the sentence, the six-time Grand Slam champ told the Mail: “I wish to make it clear that I accept the verdicts of the jury, I accept the sentence imposed upon me and that is why I have no intention of seeking any form of appeal.
“I will serve my sentence in accordance with the court’s decisions.”
The dad-of-four, who won Wimbledon three times, was convicted of flouting insolvency rules by concealing millions in cash, shares and property when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
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He is reportedly planning a warts-and-all book on his plummet from riches to prison rags.
Judge Deborah Taylor said: “The obligation was on you to disclose these assets but you did not.
“I take into account your fall from grace. You’ve lost your career, reputation and all your properties.
“However, you have shown no remorse.
“While I accept the humiliation you may have felt as a result of these proceedings, there has been no humility.”
She jailed Becker for two years and six months for removal of property, plus 18 months each for three other charges of failing to disclose assets, to run concurrently.
Jurors found he had made £390,000-worth of payments from his business account following his bankruptcy to nine others, including his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker, the mother of his fourth child.
He was also convicted of failing to declare his share in a sprawling £1m property in his German hometown of Leimen, and hiding a bank loan of almost £700,000 on the house.
The fourth charge related to not revealing his shares in a technology firm Breaking Data Corp, which were valued at £66,000.
He had been cleared of a further 20 charges, which included nine counts of failing to hand over his tennis trophies and medals.
‘I WON’T APPEAL’
Becker insisted that all the payments he made were “commitments to his children and other dependents, medical and professional fees, and other expenses”.
German-born Becker, who was supported throughout the trial by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, made his statement today through London lawyers Bark & Co.
The firm said: “Following his conviction and sentencing Mr Becker would like us to clarify some matters about his trial.
“Mr Becker was acquitted of 20 of the 24 charges and the Insolvency Service lost the majority of its case against him.
“In particular Mr Becker was acquitted of every single charge alleging offences by him before the making of the bankruptcy order on June 21 2017.
“It was decided by the jury, followed by the judge in sentencing, that Mr Becker did nothing wrong or illegal regarding his bankruptcy before the bankruptcy order was made.
“Mr Becker actively tried to avoid being declared bankrupt and to meet his debts.”
Becker was made bankrupt after failing to meet payments for a loan of more than £3m on his luxury estate in Mallorca, Spain.
He had been given a two-year suspended jail sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said the jury had found the Wimbledon commentator had acted “deliberately and dishonestly”.
She added: “Even now, Mr Becker is still seeking to blame others when it was obviously his duty.”
Becker’s barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court that Becker’s ‘fall from grace’ had left “his reputation in tatters”.
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He said: “Boris Becker has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers and that is correctly termed as nothing short of a tragedy.
“These proceedings have destroyed his career entirely and ruined any further prospect of earning an income.”
Barristers said he has ‘nothing’ left of his glittering career – describing his fall from grace as a ‘tragedy’
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