Barry Cable Found Not Guilty in Historical Child Sex Offences Trial

Barry Cable, 82, has been found not guilty of all charges in a trial over historical child sex offences. The verdict was delivered in the Western Australia District Court in March.

The Trial and Verdict

The trial, heard by District Court Judge Michael Bowden without a jury, concerned alleged offences said to have occurred in Perth in the 1960s. The complainant was a child of nine or ten years old at the time.

District Court Judge Michael Bowden found Mr Cable not guilty of all charges. Mr Cable showed no reaction as the verdict was delivered.

The Evidence Presented

The alleged victim, now in her 60s, gave evidence via video link. She described staying at the Cable home in Scarborough and alleged abuse occurred when Mr Cable's wife was asleep.

In response, Helen Cable, Barry Cable's wife, testified that the woman had never stayed at any of their homes in suburban Perth and that the Cables never lived in Scarborough. She also stated she did not know about the orphanage the alleged victim mentioned and did not visit her there.

A detective told the court there were no records to show Mr Cable picked the girl up from the orphanage, or any evidence she was absent for a period of weeks at the relevant time.

Unusual Aspects of the Trial

Unusually for a criminal trial, other women who claimed they had been sexually abused by Mr Cable when they were children gave evidence. Mr Cable was not on trial for alleged offending against them.

One of those women had launched civil action against Mr Cable. In 2023, Judge Mark Herron found Mr Cable had abused her when she was a child and awarded her more than $800,000 in damages. Mr Cable was bankrupt at the time.