UK Anti-Doping's case against Richard Freeman paused after doping doctor appeals tribunal verdict

UK Anti-Doping's case against former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman has been paused, pending the outcome of his appeal against being struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal.

Freeman was given the strongest possible sanction by the MPT, which ruled his fitness to practice medicine is impaired by his misconduct after he was found guilty of ordering banned testosterone 'knowing or believing' it was for performance enhancement.

Following the verdict, UKAD provisionally suspended Freeman from all sport and charged him with two violations:'Possession of Prohibited Substances and/or Prohibited Methods and Tampering or Attempted Tampering with any part of Doping Control'.

These proceedings have now been paused pending the outcome of Freeman's appeal against being struck off, the date of this High Court appeal currently unknown. He will remain provisionally suspended. UKAD's case will be heard before the independent National Anti-Doping panel.

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"UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has today confirmed that its proceedings against former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman have been paused until the conclusion of a High Court appeal lodged by him against a decision made by the independent Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPT) in March 2021," UKAD said in a statement.

"Dr Freeman is charged with two anti-doping rule violations, and remains provisionally suspended by UKAD."

UKAD said they will not be issuing any further statement at this time.

The Tribunal's verdict, given in March earlier this year, said it "stretched credulity that a high-profile, experienced sports doctor would order a potential banned substance under the WADA code; yet, despite the significance of this, fail to make a record of the intended patient, the circumstances, and the proposed off-label use."

Freeman's legal representative, Mary O’Rourke QC, maintained there was "no evidence" the testosterone was used to dope a rider.

"Unless you have a document or an email saying: ‘I intend to do something,’ or he tells his wife or colleague: ‘I intend to use it to dope Sir Bradley Wiggins,’ or whoever, you haven’t got clear evidence or intent," O'Rourke said.

"Perhaps the Testogel went out the door, or in the sink. Maybe it did go off to somebody but they haven’t got a scrap of evidence to prove it. They can’t."