Boris Becker, incarcerated in the UK’s worst prison: rats, drugs and violence 4 kilometers from Wimbledon

On July 7, 1985, a Boris Becker Only 17 years old, he occupied the central court of All of England the first of his three Wimbledon titles and his six Grand Slam titles. The world of tennis has given up at his feet. Now, almost 37 years after that victory, the present of the legendary former German player is very different. Because after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison for four financial crimes related to his bankruptcy filing in 2017, he was jailed in Wandsworth, a prison regularly described as “one of the worst in the UK”, overpopulated, infested with bugs and rats and where violence and drug abuse are common. And located just four kilometers from the grass court where he three times achieved glory.

Every day within that category B institution – where Becker would spend at least 15 days before moving to another category C, with less security – was devastating. And the quality of life is ugly.

According to this year’s report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and quoted by a British newspaper Daily Mail, mental health and drug problems are common among more than 1,500 inmates. Some of them spend up to 22 hours a day inside their cells. Very few have a job in the kitchen or cleaning the area. The rest have little to do in days. The prison’s education program has not been running since March 2020 and gym sessions are regularly canceled.

In the document consulted by the English newspaper, it was mentioned that during the inspection, “a group of prisoners were seen walking blinking towards the sunlight” after being detained for more than a week.

Violence is a serious problem in the prison, which operates in the nearly 170 -year -old building that is “destroyed” and of which 135 executions were carried out between 1878 and 1961. And not just because of fights between inmates, which is almost happening. daily .. In the report, which collected data from 2020 and 2021, it was mentioned that prison staff use force against inmates on average four times a day.

Film director Chris Atkinswho was incarcerated in Wandsworth between July 2016 and March 2017 for a conviction for tax fraud, wrote a book in which he recounted details about his experience in that prison.

“The first thing that surprised me when I arrived was the noise. Screaming, slapping, screaming, growling, barking, threatening, laughing, moaning, arguing, fighting, howling, crying … It was as if someone had downloaded all the sound effects. And blown it out. at the same time.It appears that the reception wing was last renovated in 1895, when Oscar Wilde he is here … imprisoned for homosexuality, “he describes.

Atkins said that while in jail he met some of the “scariest individuals” he had ever seen, who seemed almost mentally ill, addicted or both.

According to the director and writer, the cell that Becker will live in in the coming weeks will be an enclosure measuring 2 meters by 2 meters, with a cement floor and a bathroom with no cover or curtains for privacy. The beds have a plastic mattress, to facilitate cleaning, and the German will have at least one cellmate.

Becker was sentenced on Friday by a British court to 30 months in prison, during which he had to spend half behind bars, as it was a sentence of effective compliance. The German was found guilty on April 8 of possession of hidden assets and loans worth approximately 2.5 million pounds (about 3 million euros) when he declared bankruptcy in June 2017, to avoid paying off his debts. worth approximately 50 million pounds (60). million euros).

After hearing the sentence, the former number one in the world was directly transferred to prison, located in south-west London. As reported by Daily Mail, most likely on arrival, he was searched and then searched for weapons or contraband. And then, he would have undergone an interview to assess the risk of suicide or self -harm, before being taken to a cell in the E wing, where new inmates would remain for three days.

“Wandsworth is a very violent prison, but if you keep your head up and don’t get involved in drugs and debt and all the politics in the wards, it’s not really that dangerous. You just need to get away from it,” he told her. Atkin at that outlet.

And he clarified, even if the former player was lucky and moved to the pavilion for VIP inmates, known as “The Ritz”, the reality doesn’t change much. “It only has six showers for 86 cells, most of which have two inmates,” he said.

Although he clarified that Becker could be accepted as a “hero” by his new teammates because of his status as a living tennis legend, because the sport in prison is “something huge” for everyone.

Anyway, the Leon of Leimen54, will live a nightmare in that cage, just about 4 kilometers from the historic All England stadium where he touched the sky with his hands for the first time 37 years ago.