Boris Becker, the 1991 triple world champion and world number one Wimbledon, is facing the worst moment of his life. He was accused last week of hiding his cash and real estate assets to declare bankruptcy in 2017 and not pay his debts. The sentence, in a London court, was two and a half years in prison (at that time, he must serve half of it in prison). But another piece of news puts the German on scrutiny: He may face deportation.
After serving his sentence at HMP Wandsworth Prison, just 4km from the All England Club, Becker (born in Leimen, a municipality in the Rhine-Neckar district of Baden-Württemberg) could be expelled from the UK. You do not have British citizenship. According to the newspaper guardianA British Home Office spokesperson said: “Any foreign national convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison is considered deportation at the earliest opportunity.”
The Home Office, according to the same outlet, can claim that Baker’s criminal offenses continued after the implementation of the EU Withdrawal Agreement on December 31, 2020, which made immigration law for EU citizens more stringent. This “ambiguity” means that the 54-year-old former athlete (who has been based in west London since 2012 but has never applied for citizenship, despite declaring his intention to do so seven years ago) could be considered for deportation under the previous law. , a “softer” version of the UK Border Act 2007, or the updated version, which came into force on December 31, 2020.
“If the criminal conduct occurred after December 31, 2020, Baker would be subject to automatic deportation because he was sentenced to 12 months or more in prison (…) he could attempt to resist deportation on human rights grounds,” said Colin Yeo. Immigration attorney.
Leon Glenister, an attorney at Landmark Chambers, said Baker could file for an order to be rescinded “if humane conditions are found,” but that an appeal can usually take six to 12 months to process and be very expensive. “If Becker turns to a lawyer on the street to defend him, Costs can reach 30 thousand pounds Sterling pound. The only other option is to represent yourself as a litigant in person. This is unheard of, but it can be very complex, so it’s not recommended.”
According to a report from daily MailNew inmates admitted to Wandsworth Prison are being forced to stay in the Dean’s “induction wing” for seven to ten days after arrival due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. Baker will then be able to move into the general population, but new inmates generally must remain in prison for at least six weeks, demonstrating good behaviour, before considering ‘worker roles’.
Wandsworth is also a protective prison used for the temporary detention of criminals who were later transferred to serve their sentences elsewhere, which also means – according to the same British media – that the possibility of the former Grand Slam champion serving all his sentence there is “rare”. Because of the “nonviolent nature” of his crime, Boris will likely be transferred to a “softer” prison with fewer security restrictions.
This Thursday, Boris received his first visit. It was his partner, Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, who also accompanied him during the judicial proceedings at Southwark Crown Court, in the southeast of the British capital. Lillian was seen going to prison with a gym bag from the brand that historically sponsored Baker (Puma). Boris was allowed to make two phone calls from prison: one to Lillian and one to his elderly mother.
