According to a report in English tabloid The Sun, German Boris Becker will receive different treatment from other inmates at the Wandsworth Peninsula Centre, where he is being held for two and a half years for financial fraud.
A tabloid source revealed that Baker’s rapid rise through the prison’s structure angered other inmates’ family members. Wandsworth Prison Center is known for being “one of the toughest” for prisoners in the UK.
At the beginning of his imprisonment, Baker would have been privileged. Arriving at the centre, he was quickly transferred to the “Friendly Wing” and later to the Wing for Foreign Prisoners.
There, he found “easy” jobs and quickly rose to the position of “classroom assistant” where he teaches the principles of physical education, the benefits of physical exercise, and diet to fellow inmates. The job is considered “casual work”.
Relatives of other prisoners then wrote a letter to the prison governor, the source told the tabloid: “It usually takes you years to get a job as a class assistant, because it’s considered a privilege. But Baker got the job.” … weeks after the sentencing.
The source acknowledges that life in prison is probably different from Baker’s life outside it: “It’s not exactly the luxury life he used to be, but it’s better than most inmates.”
The 6-time Grand Slam champion’s lawyers have already made a request for extradition to Germany, which is in process and should be completed soon. Baker, points to The Sun, is expected to be released from prison before Christmas given the easing of German law.