Dick Caine, an Australian Olympic swim coach, has died just weeks after being found guilty of raping and sexually abusing six female trainees. Caine, who had terminal disease and was receiving palliative care, died on Wednesday morning, according to the BBC. He was 78. Caine was accused of 39 crimes committed against underage girls in the 1970s and 1980s. The assaults occurred at a Sydney swimming pool, in his home, and in his car.
The six victims were scheduled to deliver their victim impact statements at a special hearing in December, but this is unlikely to happen owing to Caine’s death.
Caine was interested in pre-adolescent and pubescent girls, according to District Judge Paul McGuire, who presided over his August guilty hearing. One of his victims was just ten years old at the time.
The judge observed a power imbalance between Caine and the young girls as a result of his authority and their age differences, adding that the girls relied on Caine to help them reach their swimming goals.
Caine, who was arrested in 2022, did not attend any of his hearings since he was found incompetent. A court previously heard that he had terminal lung and throat cancer.
According to sources, Caine was the head coach at Sydney’s Carss Park Swimming Pool for over 40 years before retiring in 2018. He coached numerous Olympic and world champion swimmers, including Michelle Ford, Janelle Elford, and Stacey Gartrell.
According to ABC, child protection activist Hetty Johnston expressed disappointment that the special hearing scheduled for December will no longer take place, citing the victims’ decades-long wait for their day in court.
“The whole thing is just a tragedy that it took so long to get to this point of the legal process, that he’s now passed,” she added.
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