British shot putter gets 9 month in jail and a four year ban for steroid trafficking.

Shot putter Carl Fletcher has been banned for four years after being found guilty of trafficking doping substances, UK Anti-Doping confirmed today.

Fletcher, 28, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court for drug offences, including supplying 16 types of class C substances. His offence involved the supply of a number of anabolic steroids, including testosterone, human growth hormone and Trenbolone, all of which are banned under the World Anti-Doping Code.

He was given a nine-month prison sentence and a four-year suspension from athletics until November 7 2015.

Fletcher, who competes for Woodford Green with Essex Ladies, finished third at this year’s UK Indoor Championships. He set a PB of 18.70m last year, improving by almost two metres in the space of two years. The performance ranked him fourth in the UK last year and put him at 20th on the UK all-time list.

Fletcher was part of a gang who were involved in supplying steroids. The group included two former police officers, one of whom was Fletcher’s uncle, David Fletcher.

“This case proves the invaluable role that law enforcement agencies have in the fight against doping in sport and demonstrates that our intelligence system is working effectively,” said Andy Parkinson of the UK Anti-Doping agency, whose intelligence unit worked closely with Merseyside Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) throughout the operation.