Minister’s son gets rugby ban for use of barred substances

The Rugby Football Union announced the 17-year-old is barred from taking part in any match or tournament until October 19 2013.

Spelman admitted taking a number of drugs, including anabolic steroids and a growth hormone, when he appeared before an independent disciplinary tribunal on March 26.

In February the Spelman family tried to suppress details about the case being published through a High Court injunction but later issued a statement saying Jonathan was “deeply sorry” for taking the substances.

Panel chairman Christopher Quinlan QC said: “In fixing the appropriate period of suspension, the tribunal had regard to all the relevant matters advanced during the course of the hearing, including the player’s youth, immaturity and admissions.

“It therefore reduced by three months the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility of two years and imposed a period of ineligibility (suspension) of 21 months.”

An appeal has been lodged and will be heard at a date to be confirmed.

The Spelman family decided last month not to appeal against a High Court judge’s refusal to continue a privacy injunction.

Spelman was originally granted the order preventing the publication of sensitive personal information in the Daily Star Sunday at a private hearing in February.

The judge, Mr Justice Lindblom, said the information, which was leaked to the newspaper, attracted a reasonable expectation of privacy and publication would not advance the public interest.

But, on February 24, Mr Justice Tugendhat concluded that it was “not necessary or proportionate” to continue the injunction. The court heard that the Spelman family had already incurred legal costs of £60,994.

Mrs Spelman and her husband Mark said at the time that the ex-England under-16 rugby player had been trying to speed up his recovery from a serious injury.

The couple said: “Our son knows that taking a banned substance can never, ever be right and he is deeply sorry for the mistakes he has made and is determined to learn from them.”