Richard Freeman: Former British Cycling doctor found guilty of ordering banned substance

A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing concluded that Dr Freeman had ordered and obtained the banned substance Testogel with the intention of administering it to enhance performance

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Richard Freeman, the former chief doctor of both British Cycling and Team Sky, has been found guilty of ordering a banned substance “knowing or believing” it would be used to enhance the performance of an unnamed rider.

During an extraordinary Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing, which began in February 2019 and was expected to only last around two months, Freeman accepted 18 of the 22 charges, including that he deliberately ordered 30 sachets of the banned substance Testogel in 2011. He also admitted lying to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).

However, Freeman, who was employed by British Cycling and Team Sky between 2009 and 2017, had denied “knowing or believing [Testogel] was to be used by an athlete” as a performance-enhancing drug. Instead, he remarkably claimed the substance was purchased for British Cycling’s then-head coach, Shane Sutton, as as a remedy for erectile dysfunction - an allegation Sutton strenuously denied.

The General Medical Counsel’s representation, Simon Jackson QC, alleged that Freeman had “lied at every stage” and used a “web of deceit” to cover his tracks.

Upon finally delivering the verdict on Friday, which will inevitably raise questions over the success of both Team Sky and British Cycling, MTPS chair Neil Dalton said: “The tribunal has found that you, Dr Freeman placed the order, and obtained the Testogel, knowing or believing it was to be administered to an athlete to improve their athletic performance.”

The trial determined that Freeman had attempted to conceal his actions, after he convinced an employee at Fit4Sport, the company that manufactures Testogel, to claim that the sachets had been sent by mistake. Freeman admitted to compromising the employee and asking “her to say the order was her error”.

After the package was delivered and subsequently discovered by former British Cycling medical director Dr Steve Peters and former British Cycling physiotherapist Phil Burt, Freeman “cut open the sachets and washed them down the kitchen sink”.

Peters told the tribunal that he asked Freeman to return to the sachets and obtain an email from Fit4Sport confirming that he had done so - Freeman said he did not recall Peters’ making the request. He also claimed that he had told Peters that he had destroyed the Testogel in 2017.

The tribunal will sit again next week to determine whether Freeman should have his licence to practice removed and if he should face any further forms of punishment. He will also face two UKAD charges.