Australian Rules football great Barry Cable is set to face a civil trial in Perth over allegations he sexually abused a girl more than 50 years ago.

February 8, 2023

Allegations that legendary Australian Rules footballer Barry Cable repeatedly sexually abused a Perth girl while at the height of his playing career are set to be tested in a civil trial.

Cable, 79, is being sued for damages in the District Court of Western Australia, with the trial scheduled to start on Wednesday.

He denies all allegations and is not facing criminal charges.

An order preventing Cable from being identified in relation to the allegations has been overturned before the trial.

The woman claims Cable sexually abused her between 1968 when she was aged 12, and 1973.

She claims she suffered psychiatric harm as a result of sexual behaviour and harassment by Cable which she alleges continued until she was in her mid-30s.

A judgment delivered on Tuesday revealed Cable had recently been declared bankrupt and intended to take no further part in defending the proceedings other than relying on written material already provided.

If damages were awarded against him, it was unclear whether Cable would be able to meet those costs, the court heard.

The alleged victim’s lawyer, Rightside Legal partner Michael Magazanik, said the bankruptcy revelation had not deterred his client.

He said she was relieved to finally be able to give her evidence after first contacting lawyers in 2018, when WA laws were changed to abolish time limits on the filing of litigation by alleged sexual abuse survivors.

“Since then, she has been resolute and determined through years of legal wrangling,” Mr Magazanik said in a statement.

Cable had made several unsuccessful attempts in recent years to have the proceedings permanently thrown out.

The most recent challenge was dismissed by the WA Court of Appeal last year.

One of football’s most decorated players, Narrogin-born Cable was in 2012 elevated to legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

He had an illustrious playing career for Perth and East Perth in the WAFL and North Melbourne in the VFL, going on to coach in both leagues.

In 2005, he was named by the AFL as a player and coach in the Indigenous team of the century.

The trial before Judge Mark Herron is expected to run for five days.