Dr Richard Freeman is accused of ordering testosterone to British Cycling headquarters in 2011 knowing or believing it was to be given to a rider to enhance performance, something he denies
Tuesday 3 November 2020 17:53, UK
Former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman said he would defend the reputation of the teams' riders with his "last breath" as his fitness to practice tribunal continued.
Dr Freeman, who has been accused by the General Medical Council of ordering 30 sachets of Testogel to the National Cycling Centre in 2011 "knowing or believing" it was intended to boost an athlete's performance, made the statement as he complained his cross-examination was being dragged out unnecessarily.
Dr Freeman said: "There is a line in a poem, 'Never ending, still beginning', and that is what I feel about this (cross-examination).
"My family is alarmed about how long it is going on. They believe the (GMC) is trying to drag this on and break me down.
"I'll be resilient, I'll assist you as long as I can. I need to protect riders' reputations. There's always inference and discussion about my case.
"I'm fighting for my own reputation but I'll fight to the last breath for the reputations of the riders."
Dr Freeman has admitted 18 of 22 charges against him, including ordering the testosterone and lying about it, but denies the central charge of seeking to dope a rider.
The complaints from Dr Freeman and his defence team came after the GMC's QC Simon Jackson submitted four new documents for consideration - one after Monday's session concluded and three more on Tuesday morning.
Dr Freeman's QC, Mary O'Rourke, said Jackson had more than doubled the number of documents submitted in evidence since the doctor entered the witness box, claiming he was trying to "ambush" him as a cross-examination expected to last five days continued into a fifth week.
O'Rourke pointed to Dr Freeman's mental health as she called Jackson's line of questioning "oppressive" and "irrelevant" to the case.
However, Jackson said the emails he was seeking to add - dating from February and May in 2011 - were "relevant to the picture of what was going on" around the time that the Testogel was ordered.
"It goes to the issues of integrity, reliability and honesty," he said.
The tribunal accepted the new documents into evidence but Neil Dalton, chair of the panel, said that going forward he would like the GMC to "rely on material already put before us".
"While the tribunal is not barring any further documents, there will need to be very persuasive reasons put forward," he said.
Dr Freeman had been due to face further cross-examination during the afternoon but requested an adjournment, saying he had fallen asleep during the session interval.
"I don't think I'm at my best to assist you at the moment," he said. "I've got a lot of paper work to get my head around."
The tribunal will continue on Monday.
