Snooker champion Graeme Dott jailed for seven years for child sex abuse

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years after being convicted of child sexual abuse.

Judge Lord Harrower said Dott robbed his victims of "a significant part of their childhood" and said his behaviour bore the hallmarks of grooming.

Dott had denied two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy between 1993 and 2010 but was found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 49-year-old Scot, who won the world snooker title in 2006, showed no emotion as he was sentenced, only nodding to someone in the public gallery as he was led away.

Lord Harrower told the High Court in Edinburgh that each of Dott's victims were vulnerable for reasons beyond their age.

He said Dott rewarded the victims with treats and disguised his abuse as being part of a game.

The former snooker champion was 16 or 17 when he abused the girl, who was about nine when her ordeal began.

Dott's abuse of the second victim - a boy aged about eight - began about 10 years later.

The court heard that he warned them they would not be believed if they told anyone about his actions.

• As it happened: Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott sentenced

The judge added Dott's victims had experienced "overwhelming emotions of fear, shame and anger" as a result of the abuse, affecting their mental health into adulthood.

Dott's behaviour towards the children "involved a gross violation of trust".

As Lord Harrower addressed him, Dott repeatedly shook his head in apparent disbelief.

The judge added social work reports have deemed Dott poses a "below average risk of reoffending", but as he still maintains his innocence, Lord Harrower could not take into account any remorse from Dott.

The court also heard that Dott has already been the subject of threats and has been moved within prison as a result.

Euan Dow, representing Dott, told the court the father-of-two was now separated from his wife but "continues to enjoy the support of his family and friends".

He added Dott suffers from "long-standing mental health issues" and that his personal and professional reputations had been destroyed.

The sentence of seven years has been backdated to 24 August, which is when the 49-year-old was remanded in custody.

He will spend the rest of his life on the sex offenders register.

Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook, of the Crown Office, said: "Graeme Dott achieved success and public admiration but, in private, he exploited the trust of two children to abuse and coerce them.

"Dott's criminal behaviour has been his downfall and he now faces the consequences of his actions."

She added that "justice has no time limit" and encouraged any victims of historical abuse to report it.

During the trial, the court heard that Dott had exposed himself and inappropriately touched a primary school girl in the 1990s and attacked a young boy between 2006 and 2010.

Dott called the allegations made against him "disgusting".

The girl, now a woman in her 40s, said Dott had "caressed" her bottom while giving her a piggyback and that, on another occasion, he had exposed himself to her.

On another occasion, she said Dott, of Glasgow, suggested she "take her trousers down" and lifted her top and began kissing her stomach after asking if she wanted to "play a guessing game".

The victim said Dott would kiss her, touch her inappropriately and carried out a sexual act that would, if committed now, amount to rape.

She said she recalled the "smell" of creams Dott used for a skin condition after he kissed her and that the actions left her "shocked and scared".

The court heard that Dott bought her a teddy bear with a love heart on it in the course of the abuse.

Police previously contacted Dott about the allegations in 2001, but no charges were brought.

The woman gave a new statement to police in 2025.

During his evidence, Dott's male victim said the abuse began shortly after Dott defeated Peter Ebdon to win his sole world title at The Crucible in Sheffield in 2006.

The boy, now a man in his 20s, said he was about eight years old when Dott molested him in a shower at a home in South Lanarkshire.

He told the court that Dott "rewarded" him with crisps and fizzy drinks and once handed him a £50 note, only to accuse the boy of stealing it when his parents found out he had the money.

He also said he was abused in a car on a number of occasions and "inappropriately touched" while Dott played online poker.

Dott was convicted of lewd and libidinous practices, which refer to any sexual crimes against children committed prior to 1 December 2010.

The offence was abolished in 2009, but is still used for crimes carried out before then.

Following his conviction in August, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said it had permanently revoked Dott's membership with immediate effect.

Dott was previously suspended from all professional snooker activities on 9 April 2025 pending the outcome of his trial.

He was subsequently relegated from the professional ranking list at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.

Dott has two previous convictions for minor road traffic offences in 2013 and 2015.