Scotland's double Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mark Dry has been banned for four-years after UK Anti-Doping appealed when he was originally cleared ©Getty Images

Britain's Commonwealth Games hammer double bronze medallist Mark Dry has been suspended for four-years for a breach of the doping rules.

The 32-year-old, who finished third at both Glasgow 2014 and 2018 competing for Scotland, admitted lying about his whereabouts at an initial hearing before the independent National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) in October last year.

The Panel dismissed the charge against Dry, but UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) appealed this decision.

In the view of the NADP appeal tribunal, Dry's false account was deemed to be conduct intended to "subvert the doping control process" and was, therefore, to be considered "tampering" under the rules.

The period of ineligibility commenced following the provisional suspension on May 8 last year and is due to end on September 25 in 2023. 

In a Twitter response to today's announcement, Dry said the initial tribunal, in dismissing the charges against him, had "accepted that a four-year ban would be grossly disproportionate and unfair".

Dry added: "I simply cannot understand how a different panel would arrive at a four-year ban conclusion, given that the Court of Arbitration for Sport clearly indicate that the misinformation I provided does not amount to tampering."

Dry told the panel he had "panicked"" as he did not want "a strike against my fully clean record".

Three whereabouts filing failures within a 12-month period can result in a ban.

Dry, then his partner, Leah Govier, both wrote to UKAD claiming he had been fishing, despite a neighbour at his Shepshed address having told inspectors he had travelled to Scotland.

The Panel found in October that there had been no subversion of the doping control process and found that, although the initial information provided by Dry was false, it was not fraudulent.

"This case is a very clear example that athletes must conduct themselves with honesty during the anti-doping process, and what is at risk if they don't," UKAD deputy director of legal and regulatory affairs Stacey Cross said.

"It is UKAD's role to uphold the anti-doping rules, which apply to all athletes, and there are very strict sanctions for anyone who deliberately interferes with or tries to obstruct the anti-doping process."

To read the full judgement click here.