After being sentenced to two and a half years behind bars, six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker arrived at the ‘overcrowded and rat-infested’ Wandsworth Prison last Friday.
Becker was sentenced after being found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act earlier last month.The German star was convicted after hiding millions in assets that he owed in debts, and continued to live a flash and lavish lifestyle despite being declared bankrupt in 2017.
This lifestyle is now a world away for Becker, who has begun his sentence at what is said to be one of the UK’s worst prisons.The 170-year-old facility is crammed with over 1,300 inmates, and known for its severe and ongoing violence problems.Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor reported earlier this year that the prison saw attacks amongst inmates almost every day across 2020 and 2021, with guards using force 1,295 across that time - equivalent to four times a day.Drug abuse among those residing in Wandsworth is said to be rife, with many said to be struggling from mental health problems while inside.
The prison - which is less than two miles from Wimbledon Centre Court - is a category B facility, and Becker is expected to move to a tamer category C jail in the coming weeks.Journalist and author Chris Atkins is a former Wandsworth inmate and documented his time locked up in a book released in 2020.
Read more on dailystar.co.uk