WA Police to revisit Barry Cable sex abuse claims

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Disgraced football legend Barry Cable could face criminal charges over the sexual abuse of a girl 25 years ago, with WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch confirming his officers were looking into the allegations.

Last month Cable was ordered to pay $818,700 in damages after WA District Court Judge Mark Herron found in a civil case that Cable abused a girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, over a six-year period between the 1960s and 1970s, in a series of attacks that began when she was barely a teenager.

Barry Cable in 2012, when he was still considered a revered football player.Credit: AAP

Herron said Cable used his public status to abuse the trust of those around him and engage in “egregious” child sex abuse and predatory behaviour that caused the woman ongoing psychological harm.

The 79-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations and declined to appear after multiple attempts to thwart the lawsuit and have his name suppressed.

Since the judge’s findings were handed down, Cable has been stripped of his honours from major sporting bodies including the AFL Hall of Fame, WA Institute of Sports and Sports Australia.

Now, he could face criminal charges after Blanch revealed police were speaking to the woman in question about the allegations.

“We are speaking with the woman and her family,” he told ABC radio.

“And then we have got to make sure we take every step appropriately through this and support any victim of any sex offence as best we can.

“Because ultimately, we want justice when there is a suspicion of a crime being committed.”

Police were first alerted to Cable’s victim’s claims when she went to them in the 1990s, but a criminal case was never pursued.

She brought the action against Cable in 2019, after the West Australian government lifted the statute of limitations on sexual abuse civil cases.

Blanch said the evidence against Cable would need to be of a higher standard for criminal proceedings than it would for a civil case.

“In a civil case, you have to meet the balance of probabilities, which was met in the recent civil case of this matter,” he said.

“We have to now meet – if we are to go to court and be successful – we would have to prove beyond all reasonable doubt.

“So it’s a much higher standard of proof. And all that means is our evidence has to be spot-on. And we have to convince either a judge or a jury that this offence was committed beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Blanch said WA Police were committed to looking into the matter.

“Sexual offence investigations can be quite sensitive, particularly our care for victims of sexual offending,” he said.

“So what I will say is this WA Police do everything we can to support and care for victims. We’ve invested a lot of time and effort in doing that.

“So if a victim comes forward with a complaint, we will launch an investigation.”

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