Paedophile swimming coach Dick Caine dies just weeks after being found guilty of raping and sexually abusing girls as young as 10

Former elite swimming coach Dick Caine has died in hospital aged 78 just weeks after being found guilty of 39 sickening sexual offences against young female athletes who trained with him.

Caine, who once trained a number of swimmers who went on to become Olympic and world champions, was in palliative care with terminal cancer before his death on Wednesday morning.

On August 28 he was found to have committed 39 acts, including rape and indecent assault, on female members of his swimming squad aged 10 to 16 across the 1970s and 1980s.

The assaults took place at the Carss Park swimming pool in Sydney‘s south, as well as at Caine’s home and in his car.

A number of the victims were virgins at the time of being raped by Caine, with one saying she had not even been kissed by a boy before. 

The terminal cancer that prevented Caine (pictured) from testifying at his trial took his life on Wednesday morning

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Caine’s illness led to him being excused from answering the allegations directly in court, meaning the case was heard by way of a special hearing in lieu of a trial.

His victims were scheduled to make their impact statements at a special hearing in December. 

In handing down the verdicts, NSW District Court Judge Paul McGuire said he found the evidence given by the victims was reliable despite the significant amount of time that had passed since the incidents.

‘I am satisfied that each of the elements of each of the offences has been established beyond reasonable doubt,’ he said.

More to come…