Dr Richard Freeman’s High Court appeal fails and he will now face a UK Anti-Doping investigation

Richard Freeman, the previous British Cycling and Team Sky physician struck off for ordering banned testosterone patches, will now face a UK Anti-Doping investigation after his High Court appeal failed.

In a devastating verdict for Freeman, his former employers and biking on this nation, a Judge discovered that there was ‘nothing wrong’ with a 2021 tribunal which noticed the disgraced medic erased from the Medical Register and dominated that his capability to practise was impaired because of his conduct whereas working on the Manchester Velodrome, dubbed the Gold Medal Factory.

The tribunal, which despatched shockwaves via the world of biking, had discovered Freeman – key to the successes on the 2012 and 2016 Olympics – ordered the drug ‘knowing of believing’ it was meant for an athlete to enhance their efficiency. UK Anti-Doping then shortly charged him with two alleged violations – Possession of Prohibited Substances and/or Prohibited Methods and Tampering or Attempted Tampering with any a part of Doping Control.

Ex-British Cycling and Team Sky physician Richard Freeman will now face a UK Anti-Doping investigation after his High Court appeal failed after he was struck off the medical register for ordering banned testosterone patches for an athlete

Freeman (centre left – pictured together with his defence group exterior court docket in 2019) is dealing with a minimal four-year ban and he might doubtlessly be banned from working in sport for all times

The medic, who additionally labored for Bolton Wanderers, was provisionally suspended from all sport, though UKAD’s case was paused whereas the appeal performed out.

After the appeal was unceremoniously dismissed this morning, the probe will now restart, with Freeman dealing with a minimal four-year ban. He might doubtlessly be stopped from working in sport for all times.

At the long-running Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service case, which at occasions bordered on the absurd, the reputations of Team Sky (now Team Ineos) and British Cycling had been dragged via the gutter, with severe questions raised over their glittering period of success. Those questions will now be requested as soon as extra, following the appeal’s failure.

Freeman had admitted ordering 30 sachets of testogel to the Velodrome headquarters in May 2011 and accepted that he lied in a bungled try to cowl his tracks. His actions additionally included mendacity to UKAD.

However, Freeman had denied that he had ordered the substance from an Oldham-based provider ‘knowing or believing’ it was to be given to an unnamed rider to enhance their efficiency.

Freeman was key to the biking successes of British biking on the 2012 and 2016 Olympics

Freeman claimed he ordered Testogel sachets for coach Shane Sutton’s ‘erectile disfunction’, which Sutton (pictured) vehemently denied

Instead, he mentioned it was ordered on behalf of ex-coach Shane Sutton for erectile dysfunction, claims which the Australian angrily denied in a risky trade.

That defence was dismantled by the General Medical Council, resulting in a beautiful verdict which has now been underscored. Freeman appealed however, in a 38-page ruling handed down on the High Court’s Manchester department, Mr Justice Fordham discovered that there was ‘nothing within the Tribunal’s strategy…which was “wrong”. He added: ‘still less any respect which would undermine as “wrong” the overall conclusion; nor rendering any finding or the outcome “unjust because of a serious procedural or other irregularity in the proceedings”.

Freeman was also ordered to pay £23,000 costs.

The medic’s representatives launched a quick assertion following the studying. It mentioned: ‘JMW Solicitors is disappointed by the judgment of the High Court rejecting Dr Richard Freeman’s appeal towards the choice taken by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service that his identify be faraway from the medical register.’