Two more women have testified in a Perth court that they were sexually abused by football legend Barry Cable when they were children, with one of them becoming emotional when describing how difficult it had been for her to come forward.
The women, both from Victoria, were called to give evidence in a civil lawsuit by a Perth woman who claims she was sexually abused for years by Mr Cable when she was a teenager in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Mr Cable categorically denies all the allegations against him and, while there was a police investigation in 1998, he has never been charged.
Mr Cable, now aged 79, was not represented by a lawyer at the hearing and is not taking part in proceedings, instead relying on written material that has already been filed in the case to defend himself.
The two new witnesses mean a total of five women have alleged — during the case — that Mr Cable abused them, which includes the woman who is suing him.
Giving evidence via video link from Victoria this morning, the women said they were abused in the early 1980s, when Mr Cable was coaching the North Melbourne football club and lived in the same neighbourhood.
'It happened quickly, but often'
Both women recounted alleged inappropriate behaviour happening during the summertime while they were in a spa at the Cable home.
The first witness told the court she was about 11 or 12 when Mr Cable would say to her and her friend "Come on girls, give me a cuddle" before he would pull her over to him and abuse her.
"It was extremely painful, and I said to him to 'stop it please'," the woman testified.
"I'd go 'oh Barry'. I would get embarrassed.
"He would have me in a like a lock. He was very strong. I'd say, 'Please Barry stop it'. He'd laugh it off and then let me go.
"It happened quickly but it happened often."
'Humiliated and embarrassed'
She also told the court she saw the same thing happen to her friend, who would sometimes also be in the spa with her.
As well as the alleged abuse, the woman claimed Mr Cable would make inappropriate comments about her breasts in front of other people, including her mother.
"He'd say to me ... 'Oh you've got little mozzie bites there''," she told the court.
"I was so humiliated and embarrassed ... he just used to have this laugh ... he'd say it out loud many, many times."
She also claimed she would regularly see Mr Cable sunbaking without any clothes on.
"He just loved being nude," she said.
'We were only girls'
The woman was questioned whether she told any adults about what happened or reported it to police, but she testified she did not because she did not think she would be believed.
"Everybody loved Barry. He was a very well-known person at the time. He was coach of North Melbourne. We were only girls. My parents wouldn't believe it."
The second witness levelled similar allegations against Mr Cable about being abused in the spa.
She told the court it happened on two or three occasions to her when she was about 11 or 12, so she then tried to make sure not to put herself in that situation again.
She recounted another occasion when she went to Mr Cable's home to give him a tape recording she had made, and when he answered the door, he had nothing on.
"I just said 'Oh my God Barry'," she testified.
"[I] just threw the tape in and left. I was quite shocked. I'd never seen anything like that before."
'That's just Cabes'
The woman said she later told Mr Cable's wife about what had happened, but she responded, "Don't take any notice of him, that's just Cabes".
The woman said on two occasions she went with Mr Cable to the Channel Seven studios in Melbourne for a sports show, and whilst in the car on the way, she claimed he put his hand on her upper thigh.
"I put my hand on his and said, 'Don't do that' and he removed his hand."
The woman said at the time she spoke to a young relative about what happened, but she did not tell any adults.
"I felt shameful. Barry was a well-respected person and no one would believe us.
"I just made every attempt not to be alone with Barry. I didn't feel safe, I didn't feel right. I didn't want to be alone with him."
The woman became emotional when testifying it had been "extremely difficult" to come forward, but she said it now felt good to get it off her chest.
"I know he should not have acted this way ... exposing himself, touching me in inappropriate places, not having any respect when he should have acted like a responsible adult," she said.
After the two witnesses gave their evidence, the woman's barrister Tim Hammond closed her case.
The hearing was adjourned until Friday when District Court judge Mark Herron will hear closing submissions.
