AFL legend Barry Cable sued over historical child sex abuse claims

Australian Football Hall of Fame legend Barry Cable is being sued over allegations he persistently sexually abused a child during his playing days in the 1960s and 1970s.

The 79-year-old is accused of abusing a girl when she was aged between 12 and 17,with the woman now seeking around $1 million in damages from the former Perth and North Melbourne football club player and coach.

Australian Rules football player Barry Cable is facing civil allegations he repeatedly sexually abused a Perth teenager during his playing career. He denies all allegations and is not facing criminal charges.

Cable,who resides in Western Australia,has denied the accusations and a Perth District Court civil trial is due to commence on Wednesday.

The allegations were subject to a police investigation in 1998,however,Cable has never been criminally charged.

That investigation prompted an anti-corruption inquiry over unfounded allegations that senior police officers close to Cable interfered with the investigation.

The current lawsuit,and Cable’s identity,have been suppressed by the court since proceedings were first launched in 2019,however the media on Tuesday successfully argued the right to report on the case.

In a statement of claim released by the court on Tuesday,the woman claimed Cable’s abuse began with inappropriate touching and escalated to rape,including allegations of the abuse being carried out inside the Perth Football Club clubrooms and the local swimming pool where Cable was the manager.

She alleged Cable said he would ‘teach her the facts about life and the birds and the bees’,and ‘coach her’ to be a hit with men as part of the abuse.

The teenager claimed Cable acted in a predatory manner and took advantage of her vulnerability as a child,with the alleged abuse continuing into her adult years.

However,Cable,in defence documents lodged with the court,claimed he and the woman had a consensual relationship for three years as adults,and that he never abused her as a child.

The woman is claiming between $855,000 and $1.06 million in damages including psychiatric harm.

She claims she kept diary references of the abuse she suffered at the hands of the AFL great,using his initials and references such as teardrops and exclamation marks to note when she was allegedly abused.

However,she destroyed the diaries in a bonfire in 2005 and 2006 before later recovering some extracts.

The woman’s lawyer,Michael Magazanik,said she was relieved she would finally be able to give her evidence before a judge,adding Cable’s recent bankruptcy had not deterred her.

“She has lived with this matter for more than 50 years,” he said.

“In 2018,when the laws changed in Western Australia,abolishing time limits for abuse survivors,she contacted me and we began work on her behalf.

“Since then she has been resolute and determined through years of legal wrangling.”

Magazanik told 6PR’s Gary Adshead the case had gone before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as Cable attempted to get the matter thrown out via stay applications.

“And now it’s been made public this morning ... he’s declared bankruptcy,” he said.

“We don’t know the reasons for that,you’d have to ask him,but the point is that my client’s asked me to make clear that she’s undeterred by all of that,undeterred by the bankruptcy and is looking forward to the trial tomorrow and the opportunity to tell her story in court,which is what she’s wanted all along.”

Cable is considered one of the greatest rovers in AFL history. He won multiple best and fairest across his three clubs,Perth,North Melbourne and East Perth,playing a total of 379 games before retiring in 1979 after injuring himself in a farming accident.

He went on to coach the three clubs between 1972 and 1984.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign up here.

Heather McNeill is the deputy editor and chief reporter at WAtoday.

Most Viewed in Sport