the former Wimbledon the champion boris baker has disclosed that he is not going to appeal his conviction or prison sentence for hiding assets and debts worth £2.5m to avoid paying off debts.
The six-time Grand Slam champion admitted today that he was ready to “accept” the jury’s decision and a sentence of two years and six months.
54 year old baker jailed LondonSouthwark Crown Court on 29 April after pleading guilty to four charges under the Insolvency Act.
In his first remarks since going to prison, he summarized: ‘I want to make it clear that I accept the jury’s decision, accept the sentence awarded to me and therefore accept any appeal I may have. I do There is no intention of soliciting.
‘I will serve my sentence as per the decision of the court.’
Boris Becker, who was photographed here with his partner Lillian de Carvalho Monteiro, was jailed for two and a half years in April.
He is currently serving his sentence at HMP Wandsworth in London, pictured. Father of four says he will not appeal his sentence or conviction
Three-time Wimbledon winner Father of Four Baker made his remarks about the case in a statement issued by his London-based lawyers, Bark & Co.
The German-born player was accused of concealing certain assets and making payments after declaring bankruptcy in June 2017 to allegedly prevent creditors from distributing funds.
In his earlier lawsuit it was heard that he was legally obliged to disclose all of his assets to help him pay off his debt of around £50 million.
Juries found Baker guilty of two counts of removal of property, failure to disclose assets, and concealment of debt.
But they acquitted him of another 20 charges, including nine Wimbledon tennis trophies and failing to hand over medals.
The jury found that he had paid £390,000 from his business account after bankruptcy to nine others, including his ex-wife Barbara and Shirley “Lily” Baker, the mother of their fourth child.
Baker, who has lived in London since 2012, was also convicted of failing to declare his share in a £1m property in his German hometown of Leimen and concealing a bank loan of around £700,000 on the house.
The fourth allegation pertains to non-disclosure of its shares in a technology firm, Breaking Data Corp, which is worth £66,000.
Speaking as his lawyers today, he admitted that he should not have paid after he declared bankruptcy.
But he insisted that all the payments he made were ‘commitments to his children and other dependents, medical and professional fees, and other expenses.’
A statement from his lawyers at Bark & Company said: ‘Following his sentencing and Mr Baker’s conviction, we would like to clarify some matters regarding his trial.
Mr Baker was acquitted of 20 of the 24 charges and the bankruptcy service lost most of its cases against him.
Baker, pictured here with Ms Monteiro arriving at Southwark Crown Court, pleaded guilty to four counts of bankruptcy fraud
Notably, Mr. Baker was acquitted on 21 June 2017 of every charge of alleged offenses committed by him prior to the bankruptcy order.
The jury decided, after which the judge sentenced, that Mr. Baker had done nothing wrong or illegal in relation to his bankruptcy prior to the bankruptcy order.
‘Mr. Baker actively tried to avoid being declared bankrupt and to meet his debts.
Bark & Company acknowledged that Baker’s assets fell within their bankruptcy estate and should not have been transferred after they were declared bankrupt.
The statement said: ‘Payments were made from the company’s account to their dependents and to meet their business and personal expenses as were done prior to the bankruptcy order.
It was alleged that Baker hid £2.5 million in assets when he declared himself bankrupt in June 2017.
‘Under these circumstances Mr Baker was convicted of withdrawing money from his bankruptcy estate (count 4) between 22 June and 28 September 2017.
‘This was the main punishment against him. Mr. Baker acknowledges that these payments should not have been made after the bankruptcy was ordered without the trustee’s permission in the bankruptcy.
‘These payments were primarily to meet Mr. Baker’s commitments towards his children and other dependents, medical and professional fees, and other expenses.’
Referring to his other beliefs, the statement said Baker acknowledged that he should have previously disclosed his share in the home in Lehman where his mother lived, the mortgage on the property and the technology shares he owned.
The statement said: ‘Mr Baker acknowledges that in bankruptcy the trustee should have been provided with information about these assets at an earlier time.
‘The details of this asset were provided to the trustee in bankruptcy immediately after the meeting on 13th September 2017.’
Baker went bankrupt after failing to meet payments of more than £3m of debt on his luxury property in Mallorca, Spain.
Judge Deborah Taylor said on her sentence that she had admitted no remorse or guilt.
Baker’s lawyers, Bark & Company, said: ‘Mr Baker actively tried to avoid being declared bankrupt and to meet his debts’
She cited a two-year suspended prison sentence in Germany in 2002 for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion.
Judge Taylor told the former world number one: ‘You have ignored the warning given to you and the opportunity given to you with a suspended sentence, and that is a significant provoking factor.’
The judge told Baker that he had ‘tried to distance himself from your humiliation and bankruptcy.’
But she added: ‘Although I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there is no humility in that.’
Prosecutor Rebecca Chackley said the jury found the Wimbledon commentator had acted “deliberately and dishonestly”.
He continued: ‘Even now, Mr. Baker still wants to blame others when it was clearly his duty.’
Baker’s barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court that Baker’s “fall from grace” had “scarred his reputation”.
He said: ‘Boris Baker really has nothing and nothing to show for what was the most glorious career of a sports career and it is really called nothing short of a tragedy.
‘These actions have completely destroyed his career and ruined any chance of earning an income.’
Judge Deborah Taylor told Baker on her sentence that she has shown no remorse. She said: ‘Although I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there is no humility’
In 1985, Baker was just 17 years old, becoming the youngest men’s singles player to win a Wimbledon championship.
She won two more Wimbledon titles, two Australian Open and one US Open, as well as a gold medal in doubles at the Olympics.
Baker retired from tennis in 1999 and has since been doing commentary for the BBC at Wimbledon.
He turned to coaching in 2013, helping Novak Djokovic win six Grand Slam titles during his three years, when Baker told the jury at the trial that his career earnings were $50m (about £38 million), but His income had dropped dramatically. since 1999.
But he claimed he had to pay for his 2001 divorce from his first wife, child maintenance payments, and ‘expensive lifestyle commitments’, including a £22,000-per-month rented house in Wimbledon, south-west London .
The lawsuit also heard that he was fond of shopping for designer clothes in Harrods and was spending thousands on his children’s school fees.