Sydney swim coach Dick Caine has died in hospital, a month after a court found he raped and sexually abused six of his teenage students in the 1970s and ’80s.
The 78-year-old had been in palliative care with terminal cancer.
Dick Caine, centre, outside Bankstown police station in 2022.Credit: Brook Mitchell
Nine News has confirmed he passed away from illness on Wednesday morning, having outlasted the months-long life expectancy he was given after his arrest in 2022.
Caine was deemed unfit to face a traditional trial due to health reasons and wasn’t present at the Downing Centre District Court when six complainants gave evidence during a judge-alone special hearing from June to August this year.
The women wept, clapped and cheered when Judge Paul McGuire ruled the man who held the power over their sporting futures had committed 39 sickening acts in the sauna, bathrooms and office of Carss Park and Cronulla swimming pools, as well as his car and Kogarah unit.
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Those targeted were all girls aged between 10 and 16.
Caine fought to keep his name and crimes under wraps, with his legal team arguing it would increase his risk of heart attack and stroke. However, the bid for secrecy was thrown out, much to the relief of his victims, who described their abuser as a “monster”.
Each of them were due to deliver victim impact statements at a special penalty hearing in December, which is unlikely to go ahead due to Caine’s death.