PRISON guards joked about assaulting tennis champion Boris Becker and mocked the suicide of a young inmate in a series of leaked WhatsApp messages.
Warders at HMP Wandsworth quipped about serving the Wimbledon champ some “new balls” and giving him a “back hander” after he arrived at the prison in 2022 to start a two-and-a-half year sentence for hiding his assets.
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After one officer said how Becker “looked scared when he came in last night”, another, Kevin O’Farrell, asked “did you give him a back hander?”
O’Farrell added: “Would have been ace. Love to have seen that.
“He’ll see some new balls tonight that’s for sure.”
Becker was at Wandsworth for a few weeks as part of his two and a half year sentence, of which he served eight months, for concealing £2.5 million of assets during a bankruptcy case.
In WhatsApp messages obtained by The Times, prison guards also ridiculed a 21-year-old prisoner who took his own life, saying they hoped he “suffered” and described his death as “splendid” just hours after the incident.
Officer Armin Naroozi also posted a gif of a man dancing alongside the words “another one bites the dust” in light of the young adult’s suicide.
The group of guards were found to have also joked that it would be “good to see” some inmates tasered, while they regularly made homophobic and misogynistic remarks.
Almost 30 members of staff, including at least one senior figure, were part of the WhatsApp group.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Becker said that he previously had no knowledge of the “disturbing chat history” in the WhatsApp group.
The content “does not match his experiences in HMP Wandsworth”, adding: “The prison staff have always behaved decently and respectfully towards him.”
The Prison Service said that it had strengthened its vetting processes and introduced a whistleblowing helpline.
A spokeswoman said: “This was truly despicable behaviour that tarnishes the hard work of the overwhelming majority of our prison staff.
“The two officers involved were dismissed last year when these messages came to light and their actions were reported to police.
“Where officers do fall below our high standards, robust action will be taken as was the case here.”
