Richard Freeman’s barrister has claimed a current British Cycling coach used a Coke can containing urine to try to help Shane Sutton cover up a doping offence during his riding career.

The allegation was among several against Sutton raised by the former British Cycling doctor’s barrister, Mary O’Rourke QC, during Dr Freeman’s medical tribuna lon Tuesday.

Sutton is a key witness but walked out of the tribunal – called by the General Medical Council to assess Freeman’s fitness to practise – on 12 November and has not returned, having denied O’Rourke’s allegations that he is a “bully, a liar and a doper”. Sutton complained he felt as if he was on trial during the questioning – he has stated he never tested positive in 100 tests during his cycling career.

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On Tuesday O’Rourke outlined the questions she had planned to put to Sutton if her cross-examination had continued, having been permitted to do so but told the questions would be treated as “assertions, not evidence” by the tribunal.

A series of allegations then followed, the most serious being that a current British Cycling coach handed Sutton a can containing urine during the Tour of Ireland in an attempt to beat a doping test. O’Rourke said the pair were caught and their team withdrew from the race to prevent the matter being pursued.

O’Rourke also claimed Sutton had received drugs in a McDonald’s toilet in Edinburgh around the time of the 1986 Commonwealth Games and had confessed to Freeman he used amphetamines as a rider. It was also claimed Sutton used his partner’s phone to verbally abuse Freeman after the doctor had blocked his number.

O’Rourke said she had a five-page statement from the 2008 Olympic champion Nicole Cooke and her father accusing Sutton of “bullying, dishonesty and other shady behaviour”.

Freeman denies a GMC charge that he ordered testosterone gel knowing or believing it was for an athlete to improve performance but has admitted ordering the gel and lying to British Cycling colleagues about it.

Freeman says Sutton bullied him into ordering testosterone gel in May 2011, something Sutton denies. Freeman has also admitted charges related to record-keeping and prescribing medicines to non-athlete members of staff.

British Cycling responded in a statement which read: “British Cycling is committed to clean sport and we take any allegations relating to doping very seriously. We urge anyone with any information regarding doping to contact UK Anti-Doping, as the UK’s national anti-doping organisation.”

The tribunal continues.