The verdict on former tennis pro Boris Becker was imposed on Friday (eXXpress reported). He should be behind bars for two and a half years. He is being held at Wandsworth Prison, which is located in the South London Borough of Wandsworth.
After the verdict, everything happened very quickly. Without being able to say goodbye to his loved ones, Becker was taken away immediately after the verdict was pronounced. He no longer exited the courthouse through the main entrance. He was allowed to make one last call. However, it is not known to whom it went.
According to “Bild”, Boris Becker has the status “High Profile” in prison. With this status, he is housed in a special wing of the prison. The cells there are probably not more luxuriously equipped. The status only guarantees special safety precautions. He should be protected from attacks by other prisoners. But that status won’t last forever. After the two-week adjustment phase, Becker could attain a lower status.
Only two miles away from the famous Center Court in Wimbledon, Boris Becker now has to spend his everyday life in prison. Inmates are locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day. The conditions there are not exactly good. The prison is run down and crammed with 1300 inmates. It is regularly cited as one of the worst prisons in Britain. Staff must use force up to four times a day to contain inmates.
When he was arrested, Becker was checked for contraband. However, nothing should have been found. After being questioned to assess his suicide risk, Becker was taken to his cell. It can be assumed that the three-time Wimbledon champion may not have slept much during his first few nights.
Chris Atkins, a former inmate at the same prison, described the adverse conditions there in a book. The filmmaker describes an awful lot of noise inside the prison. Inmates yell, scream, bang on bars, argue, howl bitterly. In his book he writes “it’s like someone downloaded every single sound effect and blasts them all at once”.
Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. He has to serve at least half of it, i.e. 15 months. With good behavior, he can then leave prison and spend the remainder of his sentence at liberty on probation.
