The former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton was “constantly” on Dr Richard Freeman’s case and accused him of being a whistleblower to UK Sport over claims that Jess Varnish was bullied, a medical tribunal has heard.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester was also told about the funding of a physiotherapy course for a British Cycling carer with whom Sutton was allegedly having a relationship.

Freeman has accepted 18 of the 22 charges against him from the General Medical Council, including ordering banned Testogel in 2011 and lying to UK Anti-Doping when questioned about it.

But he denies making the order “knowing or believing it was to be used by an athlete to improve performance” and says he was bullied into purchasing testosterone by Sutton, who used it to treat his erectile dysfunction. However Sutton vehemently denied those allegations before storming out of the tribunal on Tuesday.

Phil Burt, the head of physiotherapy at British Cycling between 2006 and 2018, said that Sutton and Freeman had a “monumental falling out” in early 2015 over a long-haul flight Freeman took from Colombia after a family bereavement. “Richard thought it was reasonable that he would be recompensed, Shane said no,” said Burt. “It became one of those things that they just couldn’t let go.”

Burt said after that incident “the pair’s relationship had really come to a bad place” and recalled one incident after the argument over the flight.

“Richard was in the corridor and Shane Sutton said: ‘The doc looks like he’s losing weight – I’ve got him where I want him,’” Burt said.

Freeman also alleges Sutton asked him to write a report backing up his decision to leave Varnish out of the 2016 Olympic programme on medical grounds but he refused to do so.

When this was put to Burt by Freeman’s barrister Mary O’Rourke QC, Burt said: “He never shared that with me, but I can imagine him standing up against that, yes.”

Burt also said Sutton had accused him and Freeman of being the whistleblower over allegations that Varnish had been bullied.

“Shane Sutton said: ‘One of you two has written to UK Sport,’” Burt recalled. “I said: ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I do remember Richard saying Shane had threatened to check his phone.”

Burt also confirmed that Freeman and the former British Cycling head of medicine Steve Peters “would open each other’s packages” if they thought the addressee was absent.

He said the Testogel package did not contain Viagra but did have the contraceptive pill Logynon, the asthma drug Montelukast, Noxil for acne and the anti nausea drug Valoid.

The tribunal continues on Wednesday.