Diarmuid Laffan of 4 New Square Chambers acted for an athlete in successfully defending charges of use and possession of a performance-enhancing substance.
Following a two-day hearing before the National Anti-Doping Panel, which canvassed both forensic science and circumstantial witness evidence, the Panel dismissed charges of actual and constructive possession within the meaning of the WADA Code, and a subsidiary charge of use based on non-analytical evidence. The charges raised issues regarding both the physical control and mental elements of possession under the WADA Code. The panel ultimately concluded that it could not be comfortably satisfied that the constituent elements of the offences were proved.
