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Boris Becker: "Degraded to an object by deception"

Photo: Alberto Pezzali / AP

The public dispute between Boris Becker and Oliver Pocher has been enriched by a new chapter: The ex-tennis star has prevailed in the second instance with an injunction against the TV comedian Oliver Pocher. Pocher is now prohibited from further disseminating controversial image sequences of a television report, the branch office of the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe in Freiburg ruled.

In addition, Pocher was required to delete the image sequences insofar as they were published on his own website. At issue were sequences of a television report from the RTL show "Pocher – dangerously honest" from October 2020, for which comedian had faked an award presentation to Becker.

Wrong award for Becker

In the TV report, an appeal for donations was launched under the slogan "Make Boris rich again". According to earlier court information, it can be seen that Becker also received the money – but without knowing about it. The money was incorporated into a supposed fashion prize that was awarded to Becker on the show. The now 56-year-old apparently did not suspect that the »Fashion Brand Award 2020« could be wrong and even thanked him via video link, excerpts of which were shown in Pocher's show.

The court did not follow the Offenburg Regional Court with its ruling. A year ago, it had dismissed Becker's lawsuit against Pocher in the first instance. The publication was possible because they were "portraits of contemporary history," the court argued at the time. It also explicitly mentioned the concerns of freedom of expression and broadcasting.

Years of feud

The Higher Regional Court apparently saw it differently: Becker had been led to believe that he had received a real prize. In fact, however, it was supposed to show how he had accepted the money without his knowledge. Nor is it to be assumed that the disputed photographs can be assigned to the field of contemporary history.

Becker had been "degraded to an object" by the deception, it was said. He had been manipulated into actively participating in ridiculing his own person.

The feud between Becker and Pocher began when Pocher flirted with Becker's ex-fiancé Alessandra Meyer-Wölden about 15 years ago. In the meantime, the two have divorced again, but this has apparently not changed the relationship between the men.

bbr/dpa/AFP