Dr Richard Freeman has admitted losing rider blood data from a third laptop, this time after the UCI requested information about riders from the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 2011.
Freeman is currently facing a medical tribunal, which is assessing his fitness to practice medicine after allegations he ordered testosterone with the intention of giving it to athletes.
On Wednesday (October 16), Freeman was presented with an email he had sent to the UCI in 2011 in which he said he had lost a hard drive, The Guardian reports.
Freeman has previously told the tribunal that one Team Sky laptop containing medical records was stolen in Greece in 2014, and that he destroyed another laptop to prevent “hackers” gaining access.
During the sixth day of Freeman giving evidence at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, being held in Manchester, the counsel for the General Medical Council Simon Jackson QC read out an email Freeman sent to the UCI in 2011.
The email said: “I lost my hard drive and much data with regards to monitoring of bloods of riders at the Giro and TdF. All are normal and will forward once fresh hard copies have come from the hospital.”
Freeman’s hearing centres around allegations he ordered 30 testosterone sachets, which were delivered to British Cycling headquarters in Manchester in 2011, and then lied to cover up the order.
He has admitted 18 of the 22 charges against him, but denies the banned substance was ordered for an athlete to dope, instead saying he was “bullied” into ordering the testosterone by Shane Sutton to treat Sutton’s erectile dysfunction. Sutton denies this.
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The hearing initially got underway in October last year, but the process has been marred by delays and legal arguments, before restarting earlier this month.
The tribunal continues.
