Police are speaking with a woman found to have been repeatedly sexually abused by Barry Cable amid the possibility of criminal charges against the disgraced footballer.
After a civil trial in the District Court of Western Australia, Judge Mark Herron in June found Cable abused the victim over five years from 1968 when she was aged 12.
Judge Herron said there was also compelling evidence the now 79-year-old, who has denied all allegations, had violated other children.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he had to be cautious in commenting because of the sensitive nature of sexual offences.
But he confirmed police were talking with the now 67-year-old woman.
"We are speaking with the victim and the family, and we've got to make sure that we take every step appropriately through this and support any victim of any sex offence as best we can," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"Because, ultimately, we want justice when there is the suspicion of a crime being committed."
In the civil case, the judge found Cable began grooming the girl, who used to babysit his infant son, with sexualised conversations and unwanted touching before escalating to almost-weekly sexual assaults.
He assaulted the girl at a public swimming pool, the Perth Football Club change rooms and at his home while her younger sister slept nearby.
On multiple occasions, Cable threatened to sexually abuse the younger sister if his victim did not comply with his demands, Judge Herron found.
Mr Blanch said any criminal case against Cable, who was stripped in June of his Australian Football Hall of Fame honours, would be harder to prove.
"In a civil case, you have to meet the balance of probabilities which is what was met in the recent civil case," he said.
"If we are to go to court and be successful, we would have to meet beyond all reasonable doubt.
"So it's a much higher standard of proof and all that means is our evidence has to be spot on and we have to convince either a judge or a jury that, beyond all reasonable doubt, that this offence was committed."
The woman first went to police in 1998 but prosecutors declined to charge Cable.
She launched civil action in 2019 after the WA government removed time limits for abuse survivors to bring lawsuits.
In a written submission to the civil trial, Cable denied any abuse.
He had an illustrious playing career for Perth and East Perth in the WAFL and North Melbourne in the VFL, going on to coach in both leagues.
The woman was awarded $818,700 in damages but expected to receive "zero" compensation because Cable had been declared bankrupt, her lawyer said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
