Former Australian swim coach, 76-year-old Dick Caine, has faced court today charged over the alleged sexual abuse of teenage girls he was training in Sydney’s south more than 40 years ago.
Mr Caine (pictured) is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most successful swimming coaches, with his status earning him a spot in the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame earlier this year.
In January 2021, officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command say they received information about multiple sexual and indecent assaults of a teenage girl at a swim school at Carss Park in the 1970s.
Kings Cross detectives subsequently established Strike Force Coco to investigate the matter.
During the course of the investigation further information was received about additional sexual abuse incidents of another teenage girl at the same swim school, also in the 1970s, NSW Police said in a statement today.
As a result of their inquiries, detectives arrested Mr Caine at a home at Condell Park just after 7am today.
He was taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he was charged with six counts of carnal knowledge teacher of girl aged 10-17 years and three counts of assault female and commit act of indecency – between 14 and 16.
Police will allege in court that Mr Caine indecently and sexually assaulted two girls when they were aged 15 to 16 on a number of occasions in the mid-1970s while they were under his authority as a swimming coach.
Mr Caine was head coach at Sydney’s Carss Park Swimming Pool for over 40 years until it closed two years ago. He also coached 11 Olympic and world champion swimmers during his long career.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
