The long-running saga of Dr Richard Freeman’s fitness to practice hearing in Britain took a strange twist today when allegations of trying to cheat a dope test at the Tour of Ireland emerged.
It was alleged that Shane Sutton was being passed urine in a Coke can by an unnamed British coach during a doping control at the race when they were caught.
The claim, made by Freeman’s barrister Mary O’Rourke QC,
also contained an allegation that as a result of the incident Sutton and the
unnamed person attempting to pass him the can left the race.
It was alleged they pulled out of the event in an effort
to avoid the matter being pursued any further.
However, Sutton was not at the hearing today to answer
questions about the allegations.
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Indeed, the allegations were made by O’Rourke as she outlined what she had planned to ask Sutton if he had been present.
A lawyer for the General Medical Council, which is
holding the hearing, stressed at the proceedings that the claims being made by
O’Rourke were only allegations.
Her claims were “assertions” by her and they were not “evidence”; allegations that were neither tested nor proven.
"They are just allegations," stated General Medical Council lawyer Simon Jackson.
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The hearing centres on Freeman’s activities while he was working as a doctor for Team Sky and British Cycling. His fitness to continue practicing as a doctor is at stake.
Sutton attended the hearing last month but he left when it
was put to him he had doped during his career.
O’Rourke made that allegation against him during
questioning last month when she also described Sutton as “a habitual and serial
liar” and as “a doper with a doping history”.
Sutton reacted to this charge at the time with extreme
annoyance, though O’Rourke told him she did not believe his evidence to the
hearing and she had to test his credibility.
“My career spanned 100 tests and every one was negative,”
Sutton replied last month to the allegation he had doped.
Freeman admits he told “a lot of lies” about his time at
Team Sky and British Cycling including trying to conceal the fact that he had
ordered Testogel to the Team Sky-British Cycling base at Manchester velodrome
in 2011.
However, he says now that while he admits the banned
substance was not delivered in error, as he tried to claim previously, he has
insisted it was not ordered to help any riders dope.
The British General Medical Council’s case is that the
sachets were ordered so an unnamed rider could micro-dose.
However, Freeman denies this and claims he was bullied
into ordering the Testogel to treat what he claims was Shane Sutton’s erectile
dysfunction.
Because Freeman has effectively blamed Sutton for forcing
him into ordering the testosterone product and Sutton denies it, the nub of the
hearing has come down to Freeman’s word against Sutton’s.
And because of that Freeman’s barrister, O’Rourke, has sought
to very strongly call into question Sutton’s honesty and credibility.
O’Rourke also claimed today Sutton had received drugs in
Edinburgh around the time of the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
She further alleged today that Sutton had confided in
Freeman that he had taken amphetamines during his racing career.
Those allegations were also being treated as “assertions” rather than “evidence”.
While Shane Sutton has not returned to the hearing to
give any more evidence after leaving last month, Freeman was also absent today.
The hearing, which continues, was told that Freeman had become very upset about the media coverage of the process to date and was absent because of that.
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