Boris Becker will have to 'rely on charity of others to survive' after he is released from jail, says lawyer

Boris Becker will have to "rely on the charity of others" after his release from a two-and-a-half year jail sentence for hiding £2.5m worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts, his lawyer says.

The 54-year-old tennis star was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing creditors almost £50m, over an unpaid loan of more than £3m on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.

He was found guilty earlier this month of transferring hundreds of thousands from his business account to others and failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen in Germany.

The former men's world number one was also convicted of hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan and 75,000 shares in a tech firm.

It followed a trial at Southwark Crown Court in central London on charges under the Insolvency Act.

He was accused of hiding millions of pounds worth of assets, including two Wimbledon trophies, to avoid paying his debts.

Sentencing Becker to two years and six months in jail, Judge Deborah Taylor said it was "notable you have not shown remorse or acceptance of your guilt".

She added: "While I accept the humiliation you have felt as a result of these proceedings, you have shown no humility."

There was no sign of emotion from Becker as the sentence was handed down.

His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw QC, said the six-time Grand Slam champion would "not be able to find work" and will now have to "rely on the charity of others if he is to survive".

Becker's "fall from grace" is "the most public humiliation", Mr Laidlaw added.

"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," he went on.

"These proceedings have destroyed his career entirely and ruined any further prospect of earning an income.

"His reputation is in tatters."

Becker, who won the men's singles at Wimbledon three times, told jurors his $50m (about £38m) career earnings were swallowed up by an expensive divorce from his first wife, Barbara Becker, child maintenance payments and "expensive lifestyle commitments".

He said he was "shocked" and "embarrassed" after he was declared bankrupt on 21 June 2017.

The German national, who has lived in the UK since 2012, insisted he had co-operated with trustees tasked with securing his assets, even offering up his wedding ring, and had acted on expert advice from advisers who managed his life.

However Becker, who was supported in court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and eldest son Noah, was found guilty of four charges.

The court heard Becker received €1.13m (about £950,000) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany, which was paid into a business account used as a "piggy bank" for his personal expenses.

Becker was found guilty of transferring €427,00 (£356,000) to nine recipients, including the accounts of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker, the mother of his fourth child.

He was further convicted of failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen, hiding an €825,000 (almost £700,000) bank loan on the house as well as 75,000 shares in tech firm Breaking Data Corp.