Piers Morgan has publicly supported Boris Becker after the tennis icon was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for breaches of the Insolvency Act. Morgan described the 54-year-old as a ‘great guy’ just moments after he learned his fate at Southwark Crown Court.
Becker has been found guilty of hiding over £2.5million worth of assets and loans and was convicted of four charges – two counts of failing to disclose estate, the removal of property and concealing debt. Prosecutor Rebbeca Chalkley accused the German of acting ‘deliberately and dishonestly’ whilst ‘seeking to blame others’ for his actions.
On Friday evening, Morgan took to Twitter to pledge his support for the six-time Grand Slam champion, not entangled in financial woe for the first time. In response to Becker’s sentence, the broadcaster tweeted: “So sorry about Boris Becker. Great guy, and always enjoyed his company. See you on the other side, mate.”
He accompanied the post with an image of the pair on either side of a third man, all smiling just as much as each other. Morgan, an Arsenal fan, has previously attended football games with Becker, whose allegiances lie with the Gunners’ bitter rivals Chelsea.
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Following his 2017 bankruptcy, Becker was told he potentially faced up to seven years in jail due to his previous tax evasion and attempted tax evasion convictions in Germany in 2002. Also close with the star, Andrew Castle expressed his shock at the news whilst on-air for LBC in the aftermath.
He said: “It’s four minutes past four, Andrew Castle with you and actually still reeling from the news this Friday afternoon that Boris Becker – who’s a great mate of mine, I’ve done many Wimbledon finals with him for the BBC, I’ve sat alongside him, I’ve played with him, I’ve practised with him, I’ve been drunk with him, he’s a good man – is going to prison for two and a half years and I’m shocked because it’s close to me.
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