Swimming coach Richard “Dick” Caine raped and abused young female athletes

A former elite swimming coach is said to have committed dozens of gruesome sexual assaults on six young female athletes who trained with him in the 1970s and 1980s.

On Wednesday, it was found that Richard “Dick” Caine, now in his late 70s, committed 39 acts against female members of his swim team between the ages of 10 and 16 in the 1970s and 1980s, including rape and sexual assault.

The attacks took place at the Carss Park swimming pool in southern Sydney, as well as at Caine's house and in his car.

Several of the victims were virgins at the time of Caine's rape. One of them said she had never been kissed by a boy before.

Caine, who once coached a number of Olympic and world champion swimmers, is currently in palliative care, reportedly suffering from cancer and dementia.

He was excused from directly addressing the allegations, so the case was heard at a special hearing rather than a trial.

In handing down the verdict, New South Wales District Court Judge Paul McGuire said he found the victims' statements credible, even though a long time had passed since the incidents.

“I am convinced that all elements of each and every crime have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

Several of the victims in the courtroom breathed a sigh of relief as the verdict was announced, hugging each other and wiping tears from their eyes.

“We did it,” said one of them.

Judge McGuire concluded that the trainer had an interest in prepubescent and pubescent girls and acted on that interest, including by raping a then ten-year-old girl.

The court heard that one of the victims had serious ambitions to compete in the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, but these were dashed by Caine's behaviour.

Several victims said they were afraid of Caine because of his authority and coaching 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 lent credibility to their statements.

Several victims said they were afraid of Caine because of his authority and coaching style.

One of the victims vividly described how her hands were tied and how she later saw a used condom next to the bed.

Prosecutors argued that the victim's account was “so detailed and convincing” that it must be true.

Caine's lawyers argued that the evidence related to incidents that occurred about 50 years ago and was not reliable.

But Judge McGuire found that all of the victims' statements were honest and credible, including the fact that they readily made admissions about details they could no longer clearly remember.

He noted that one of them presented compelling evidence that “she would not do this to herself, her husband and her family if what she said was a lie.”

The case will be heard again in court on December 6 to determine the sentence.

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