Boris Becker has revealed that he had several items immediately confiscated when he arrived at prison three years ago. The former Wimbledon champion spent eight months incarcerated after being found guilty of concealing £2.5million worth of assets from creditors. He received a two-and-a-half-year sentence in April 2022, following his bankruptcy declaration in 2017 when he owed nearly £50m to creditors.
Becker spent time at HMP Wandsworth in London and HMP Huntercombe in Oxfordshire prior to being released. He opened up on his time behind bars in a recent interview, revealing that he brought three essential items with him. He was not allowed to use them, though, with the guards immediately taking them away from him.
The items in question were razor blades, nail scissors and aftershave. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the German was banned from taking them into his cell as he began his jail sentence.
Becker also explained that he knew he needed to carry himself in the right manner to avoid being targeted by hardened criminals, with the 57-year-old being forced to eat alongside murderers, drug dealers and sex offenders.
"You're standing in line to get some food and you know by now that the guy in front of you killed three people with his bare hands, the guy later in line sexually attacked young girls," he told The Times. "What do you do with that guy?"
Becker said that he spent the early part of his sentence tucked away in his cell as he came to terms with his frightening new reality.
"You get anxiety attacks, you breathe quicker, you start to cry because you're alone, nobody can help you," he recalled.
"It is filthy as hell and so you're, like, what happened to me? How is it possible that after all the life I've had and the good things I've done, I'm in HMP Wandsworth on a Saturday evening?"
Having returned to normal life following his release from prison, Becker is releasing a memoir in which he reflects on his time behind bars.
At one point, he was involved in a terrifying confrontation with a fellow prisoner who threatened to kill him over a simple question.
"One day, I was coming back from lunch with my tray of food," wrote Becker. "As I passed Ike's cell, Zac was in there. 'Hey. What are you doing in Ike's cell?' I said.
"He came straight at me. 'Who the f*** are you? I'm going to f*** you up. I'm going to break your head. I'm going to slit your throat. I'm going to kill you'."
Fortunately for Becker, he was spared from harm by fellow prisoners, who intervened to calm the situation. He was protected by Ike, who commanded respect on the wing.
It resulted in a dramatic apology from Zac, with Becker adding: "He started kissing my hand and saying sorry. He wasn't just apologising to me but to Ike, who was the boss on our wing."
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