Former Australian cyclist Shane Sutton accused in drugs trial

Shane Sutton, former cyclist and ex-head of UK cycling forced to make a dramatic defence of his character in a drugs trial.

Shane Sutton, former Australian cyclist and ex-head of British cycling. Picture: Wikipedia.

Shane Sutton, the former Australian cyclist and ex-head of British cycling was forced to make a dramatic defence of his character on Tuesday as a British cycling team doctor sought to blame him for ordering 30 packets of testosterone, a banned drug.

In dramatic scenes before a medical tribunal, Mr Sutton angrily denied bullying the doctor, Richard Freeman, to order the packets of Testogel in 2011, which Dr Freeman claimed was for Sutton’s alleged erectile dysfunction.

“You are telling the press I can’t get a hard on – my wife wants to testify that you are a bloody liar,’’ Mr Sutton said, before swearing on his three-year-old daughter’s life that he had no knowledge of the Testogel.

Mr Sutton, who raced for St George cycling club, won gold for Australia at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and was victorious in the 1990 Milk Race, was so outraged at the attack on his character by Dr Freeman’s lawyer, Mary O’Rourke, that he stormed out of the hearing, saying: “I don’t need to be dragged into this shitfight’’.

Mr Sutton and Dr Freeman had worked closely together at British Cycling where Mr Sutton was head coach and then technical director, and was decorated in 2010 with an OBE, and Dr Freeman was the medical director. Mr Sutton accused Dr Freeman of being “spineless’’ by refusing to look him in the eye because the doctor was giving evidence behind a screen.

Dr Freeman has already admitted to 18 or 22 offences before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, including that he ordered the banned Testogel to be sent to the Manchester velodrome and that he then lied to UK Anti-Doping officials about trying to cover it up.

However, Dr Freeman insists the drugs were for Mr Sutton, 62, and not that he was protecting a cyclist.

Ms O’Rourke accused Mr Sutton of being a habitual and serial liar, prompting Mr Sutton to retort: “Can I ask – am I the one who is on trial here? I feel like I’m the criminal.”

Ms O’Rourke said she believed his two witness statements to the tribunal were lies and added, “therefore, I have to test your credibility.”

The hearing, which is to determine Dr Freeman’s fitness to practise medicine, continues on Thursday.