Jurors retire in trial of former star Becker

Former tennis player Boris Becker (right) arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London yesterday to attend his trial over charges relating to his bankruptcy. (AFP)

The jury in the London trial of Boris Becker retired yesterday to consider its verdicts in a case in which the German is accused of failing to hand over trophies he won after he was declared bankrupt in 2017. The six-time Grand Slam winner, who denies 24 charges under Britain’s Insolvency Act, is accused of concealing assets including two of his three Wimbledon men’s singles trophies and his 1992 Olympic doubles gold medal. Becker is also accused of hiding 1.13mn euros ($1.23mn) from the sale of a Mercedes car dealership he owned in Germany. The 54-year-old is also said to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Sharlely ‘Lilly’ Becker. He also allegedly failed to declare two German properties, as well as his interest in a £2.25mn ($2.9mn) London flat occupied by his daughter Anna Ermakova. Becker, who has been supported during his trial at Southwark Crown Court by his partner Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, has a previous conviction for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002, the court has heard. Jurors previously heard Becker’s bankruptcy resulted from a 4.6mn euro loan from private bank Arbuthnot Latham in 2013, and £1.2mn, with a 25% interest rate, borrowed from a British businessman the following year. The court heard the former world number one earned a “vast amount” of money, winning about $50mn in prize money and sponsorship deals. But Becker, who went on to coach current world number one player Novak Djokovic, said his earnings “reduced dramatically” following his retirement in 1999. He said he was involved in an “expensive divorce” from ex-wife Barbara Becker in 2001, which included high maintenance payments to their two sons. Giving evidence during the trial, which began on March 21, Becker denied giving bankruptcy officials the “runaround” over missing trophies, saying that was “not correct”. French tennis player sorry for Will Smith-style slap of rival A French junior tennis player apologised for a delivering a Will Smith Oscars-style slap at an opponent but said his anger was sparked by insults from the crowd. Michael Kouame, 15, slapped Raphael Nii Ankrah across the face at a tournament in Accra in Ghana as the two teenagers met at the net to exchange the customary post-match handshakes on Monday. Kouame, who lost the tie in three sets, said on social media his outburst occurred “after an extremely frustrating and difficult match” during which he said he was insulted by the crowd who supported the local player. “I sincerely regret my actions. During the match, I was repeatedly verbally abused by many people in the crowd, including insults against my mother, but that does not excuse my behaviour,” he said. He also apologised to his opponent. “I accept all the consequences from the International Tennis Federation (ITF),” he added. “I will use this time to see how I can better handle these kinds of situations in the future, in a way that reflects my true personality.” American actor Smith stunned the recent Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles when he mounted the stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the comic made a joke about his wife’s closely cropped head.