AFL Hall of Famer to stand trial for child sexual abuse

AFL Hall of Famer Carl Ditterich has been committed to stand trial on historical child sexual abuse charges.

The 79-year-old appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court today flanked by family members.

He is accused of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 16 on August 27, 1985, after he had retired from the Victorian Football League.

The alleged incident took place in a parked car in a back street of Moorabbin after the pair had gone to buy alcohol.

Ditterich was charged with three counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency in April.

Magistrate Stephen Ballek said a diary kept by the alleged victim at the time was a central piece of evidence.

The woman had re-read the diary after providing her first statements to police in January 2023, which triggered “more thoughts and recollections” about the alleged assault.

“What she read in her diary gave her flashbacks,” Ballek said.

After seeing her handwriting again, the woman said she “relived” the alleged assault, the court was told.

The former ruckman played 285 games for St Kilda and Melbourne over a 17-year career.

He was one of the most reported players in AFL/VFL history, appearing before the tribunal 19 times and being suspended for 30 matches.

He missed St Kilda’s only premiership in 1966 while serving a six-match ban.

Ditterich is a member of St Kilda’s team of the century and was also inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

AFL chairman Richard Goyder said in April that the league would wait for Ditterich’s court proceedings to conclude before making a decision on his Hall of Fame status.

The AFL Commission stripped disgraced legend Barry Cable of his AFL Hall of Fame honours in 2023 after a judge found he sexually abused a Perth girl at the height of his playing career.

The North Melbourne (VFL), Perth and East Perth (both WAFL) premiership player had been upgraded to “legend” status in 2012.

Ditterich will next face court on November 18.