A third woman has come forward alleging she was also sexually abused by football legend Barry Cable as a child, this time when he was the coach of North Melbourne in the VFL in the 1980s.
Key points:
- The woman alleges Barry Cable was sexually inappropriate with her in a spa
- She says she did not make a complaint to police because of who Mr Cable was
- Mr Cable denies all allegations against him and has never been charged
The woman, who can not be identified, was called to give evidence in the civil case by another woman who alleges she was sexually abused by Mr Cable when she was a teenager in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and he was in the prime of his playing career.
Mr Cable denies all the allegations against him and has never been charged.
He is not represented by a lawyer and is not taking part in the hearing, instead relying on written material already filed with the District Court to defend the legal action.
The new witness gave evidence today via video link from Victoria and testified that Mr Cable was sexually inappropriate with her on one occasion when she was in a spa with her friends in either 1983 or 1984, when she was about 11 or 12 years old.
The woman said the alleged abuse happened after Mr Cable was showing her a scar he had on his leg, something she described as “almost looking like a shark bite.”
She alleged Mr Cable indecently touched, and tried to sexually assault her, after he pulled her onto his knee, testifying she felt so uncomfortable she immediately jumped off.
Woman too scared to make complaint
The woman said she did not know how long the alleged abuse lasted, but she remembered being “scared and embarrassed and probably shocked”.
She told the court she did tell a friend about what happened, but did not make a complaint to police because of who Mr Cable was.
“He was so famous. My Dad had stars in eyes talking about him. He said all of Australia loved him,” she said.
“I was so scared and intimidated I didn’t tell anyone.”
The witness said she had never met or spoken to the woman who is suing Mr Cable, saying the first she heard of the case was when a relative showed her a news article last week.
Mr Cable is considered one of the greatest West Australian footballers of all time after a lengthy and successful career in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and West Australian Football League (WAFL).
Judge to decide if evidence admissible
The woman’s evidence follows that of another witness on Friday, who also alleged Mr Cable was sexually inappropriate with her when she was a child in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s.
The woman also did not make a complaint to police, telling the court one of the reasons was because there may have been repercussions because Mr Cable was famous.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Tim Hammond SC, said his client would be relying on both women’s evidence on the basis of it being “similar fact or tendency evidence”.
But Judge Mark Herron said he would have to rule on whether the evidence was admissible in the civil case, noting that the abuse the two witnesses alleged was “sometime after” the abuse claimed by the plaintiff.
The woman is suing Mr Cable for around $1 million, claiming his alleged abuse of her caused her catastrophic harm for which she is still receiving treatment.
