Brian Connolly had reached the age of sixty, an age that some would use to categorize him as an old man. However, Connolly had been a competitive bodybuilder for decades. It was an activity that gave him a much younger and much more muscular physique than other men his age. It was a physique that young men in their twenties and thirties aspired to achieve.
Connolly won first place in the “Masters Over Fifty” category at the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) United Kingdom bodybuilding contest in November 2014. He also won the “Masters Over Forty” division at the NABBA North West in April 2007.
Connolly, as a long-time and successful competitor, was accordingly well-known and well-liked within the bodybuilding community. His accomplishments and his experience as a masters bodybuilder made him a popular man among other local bodybuilders.
Unfortunately, all of the accolades and trophies received by Connolly over the years didn’t afford him any special treatment by law enforcement investigators involved in the war on steroids. In fact, it was probably his popularity attracted their attention.
While it is practically a given that most competitive bodybuilders are using anabolic steroids and various other muscle-building as well as ancillary drugs, police fortunately don’t seem to have any desire to start arresting every bodybuilder who decides to step on stage. But they do have to make an occasional bust here and there. And Connolly just happened to be an easy target. They all wanted to know who was that huge bodybuilder driving a Hummer around town,
Connolly was arrested after eight armed cops, armed with a search warrant, raided his home in search of anabolic steroids on April 30, 2014. The cops were not disappointed.
Police estimated that the drug seizure was worth an estimated £30,000 ($47,200) on the street. Steroids weren’t the only drug they found. Not surprisingly, they also found several different categories of drugs that are commonplace in the competitive bodybuilder’s drug arsenal.
The drugs included selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like Nolvadex (tamoxifen), beta-adrenergic agonists like Clenbuterol and aromatase inhibiting drugs like Arimidex (anastrozole). These ancillary drugs all have their specific function alongside a competitive bodybuilder’s steroid stack.
Clenbuterol is a highly effective fat-burning drug that is often used in the final 2-3 of pre-contest preparation. SERMs are used to block estrogen receptors specifically in breast tissue to prevent the development of gynecomastia (gyno) from the use of aromatizing steroids such as testosterone and Dianabol (methandienone). Anti-aromatase drugs are used to deactivate the enzyme (aromatase) responsible for converting aromatizing androgens to estrogens.
The seizure of so many anti-gyno drugs may seem surprising given that Connolly had apparently already had undergone gynecomastia surgery that had resulted in the removal of his nipples. This unusual omission from Connolly’s physique has gained him some notoriety on the Internet.
Connolly pleaded guilty to possessing Class C drugs (anabolic steroids) with intent to supply. It would have been difficult for Connolly to argue otherwise since a forensic analysis of Connolly’s mobile phone uncovered SMS text messages arranging steroid transactions between Connolly and his customers.
Connolly theoretically faced several years in prison for intent to supply. However, Connolly used the “steroid addiction” defense saying that he “couldn’t live without them” and sometimes required as many as 40 injections per week. Phil Dobson, the prosecutor for the Manchester Crown Court, agreed that Connolly was addicted to steroids.
“He said he is addicted to steroids and it had become his way of life to take them all the time,” Dobson said. “He said most bodybuilders took steroids for 12 weeks then came off them for six weeks, but he’d stayed on them for a year without a break…
“When asked about the steroids, the defendant said he’d been using them for 25 years and had just come out of hospital, having been treated for taking too many steroids, which has happened several times.”
Connolly was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years. The suspended sentence essentially reduced the penalty to only 6 months of probation. The Manchester Crown Court judge will dismiss the entire case if the probationary period is successfully completed.
Source:
Ankers, W. (June 27, 2015). Salford bodybuilder, 60, sold steroids from the kitchen of his home and had cache worth an estimated £30,000. Retrieved from http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salford-bodybuilder-60-sold-steroids-9539714