Ex-AFL player Barry Cable charged with child sex abuse

West Australian police have charged former AFL player Barry Cable with the alleged historical sexual abuse of a girl.

The 80-year-old faces criminal charges that he allegedly indecently dealt with,and had unlawful carnal knowledge of,a girl who police say was just nine to 10 years old at the time.

Disgraced AFL legend Barry Cable (left,centre) and WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch.

Disgraced AFL legend Barry Cable (left,centre) and WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch.Supplied

On Friday,police said they would allege Cable had sexually assaulted a girl between 1967 and 1968. He faces five counts of indecently dealing with a girl under 13 and two counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 13.

Cable was a two-time premiership player with North Melbourne in the 1970s.

He was also a revered footballer in Western Australia’s domestic league,winning four premierships and three league best-and-fairest awards in the 1960s and 1970s.

Before his move to Melbourne in 1970,he played for Perth Football Club for many years.

Cable later spent time at East Perth as a captain-coach,winning another West Australian Football League premiership and finishing a record-breaking career with 379 games played.

He returned to Victoria to coach North Melbourne in the early 1980s and was later named rover in the Kangaroos’ team of the century.

Cable will appear before Perth Magistrates Court on May 30.

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Holly Thompson is a journalist with WAtoday,specialising in education.

Connor McGoverne is a reporter for 9 News Perth.

Lachlan Abbott is a reporter at The Age.

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