Former tennis star Boris Becker is set to be deported to Germany next week. The 54-year-old six-time Grand Slam champion was jailed in April this year over charges relating to a 2017 bankruptcy. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for charges including concealing 825,000 euros (USD 866,500) of debt and shares in a tech firm.
However, with less than eight months of the sentence served, Becker is expected to return to Germany next week and will not have to serve his remaining sentence, reports Daily Mirror.
The three-time Wimbledon champion is being held in HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire where foreign nationals are detained ahead of deportation.
The 'exclusive' report in the Mirror reveals that Becker is qualified for a fast-track scheme that sends criminals to their home countries before their release date in an effort to reduce pressure on British jails and save money.
The report quoted Becker’s former spokesman as saying last month: “We are pleased for Boris that he may qualify for an early release and be able to travel to Germany, albeit England has been his home for many, many years. I’m sure it will mean a lot to him and his family to be reunited for Christmas.”
Becker has lived in Britain since 2012 but will be deported as he does not have British citizenship. It is understood he will not be eligible to apply to return to the UK as a visitor until his full sentence has expired.
The report said a foreign inmate can have up to a year cut from their sentence under the Early Removal Scheme.
More than 1,100 criminals were deported under the scheme in 2020-21.