A former elite swimming coach has been found to have carried out dozens of horrific sexual assaults on six young athletes who trained with him in the 1970s and 1980s.
Richard “Dick” Caine, now in his 70s, was found on Wednesday to have committed 39 acts, including rape and indecent assault, against female members of his swim team aged between 10 and 16 between the 1970s and 1980s.
The attacks took place at Carss Park swimming pool in Sydney’s south, as well as at Caine’s home and in his car.
Several of the victims were virgins at the time they were raped by Cain, and one of them said she had never even been kissed by a boy.
Caine, who has coached numerous champion swimmers in the past, is now receiving palliative care.
He was excused from directly responding to the allegations, meaning the case was heard through a special hearing rather than a trial.
In delivering the verdicts, New South Wales District Court Judge Paul McGuire said he found the evidence presented by the victims was reliable despite the significant time that had elapsed since the incidents.
“I am satisfied that each of the elements of each of the offences has been established beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.
Former swimming coach Richard ‘Dick’ Caine raped and indecently assaulted girls in the 1970s and 1980s
Several of the victims in court breathed sighs of relief, hugged each other and wiped away tears as the verdicts were read.
“We did it,” one of them said.
Judge McGuire found that the coach had an interest in prepubescent and pubescent girls and acted on that interest, including raping a girl who was 10 years old at the time.
The court heard one of the victims had genuine Olympic and Commonwealth Games aspirations which were thwarted by Caine’s conduct.
Several of the victims said they were afraid of Caine because of his authority and training style.
Several victims reported the presence of pornography and alcohol in the trainer’s home and said they saw the defendant’s horse, which prosecutors said gave credibility to their claims.
Several victims testified that they were afraid of Caine because of his authority and training style.
One of the victims gave a “graphic” account of how her hands were tied, while they later recalled seeing a used condom beside the bed.
Prosecutors said the victim’s account was “so detailed and compelling” that it must be true.
Caine’s lawyers argued the evidence related to incidents that took place about 50 years ago and was unreliable.
But Judge McGuire found all the victims’ evidence to be honest and reliable, including voluntary admissions they made about details they could not accurately recall.
He noted that one of them gave compelling evidence: “She would not put herself through this, her husband and her family, if what she was saying was a lie.”
The case will return to court on December 6 for a sanction to be determined.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Service for Support and Reparation in Cases of Sexual Abuse 1800 211 028