Richard Freeman, former team doctor for Team Sky and British Cycling, admits to the Medical Tribunal that he lied when he previously said he had not ordered the batch of testosterone patches delivered to him at the Manchester Velodrome in May 2011 The company was to.

According to The Times (opens in new tab), on the first day of a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Manchester, Freeman's lawyer, Mary O'Rourke QC, admitted that her client had "told many lies."

Freeman had previously claimed that 30 bags of test gel were mistakenly delivered to the Manchester Velodrome (then home of Team Sky) on May 16, 2011, from Fit4Sport Limited in Oldham.

Tuesday's hearing revealed that Freeman signed an amended statement on September 24 of this year, in which he admitted ordering the testosterone.

According to O'Rourke, Freeman told her: "I couldn't even bring myself to tell my lawyer the truth. I am here now and this is the truth." Freeman sat alongside O'Rourke during the preliminary hearing.

Thus, Freeman would admit to ordering the testosterone patches, but would continue to deny the Medical Council's charge that his "motive was to obtain testosterone to give to athletes to improve their performance."

O'Rourke said the GMC had "no evidence from athletes" that Freeman ordered testosterone for this purpose, but the Times reported that GMC representative Simon Jackson QC had testified from an endocrinologist that Freeman's "non-rider" patients report that it proves that there was no medical need for testosterone.

The court was first convened in February of this year, but Freeman did not attend and his lawyers secured a lengthy recess. A new date for the hearing was confirmed earlier this month and it is scheduled to run through December 20.

The GMC is the regulatory body governing the medical profession in the UK, and Freeman could be stripped of his right to practice medicine if found guilty of misconduct. On the other hand, if the case is proven, it could have important consequences for British Cycling and Team Ineos, as testosterone is banned both in and out of competition under WADA rules. Freeman worked for British Cycling and Team Sky (now Team Ineos) between 2009 and 2015.

British Anti-Doping handed over evidence to the GMC after it was forced to close its investigation into the so-called "Jiffy Bag" doping allegations concerning Bradley Wiggins, but is poised to open legal proceedings if the doping allegations are proven by the courts WADA's statute of limitations is 10 years, up from eight years in 2015.