Former world snooker champion Dott jailed for child sexual abuse

Former satellite snooker champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for 7 years aft being convicted of kid intersexual abuse.

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

Dott had denied 2 charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a miss and a lad betwixt 1993 and 2010 but was recovered blameworthy pursuing a proceedings astatine the High Court successful Glasgow.

The 49-year-old Scot, who won the satellite snooker rubric successful 2006, showed nary emotion arsenic helium was sentenced, lone nodding to idiosyncratic successful the nationalist assemblage arsenic helium was led away.

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

He said Dott rewarded the victims with treats and disguised his maltreatment arsenic being portion of a game.

The erstwhile snooker champion was 16 oregon 17 erstwhile helium abused the girl, who was astir 9 erstwhile her ordeal began.

Dott's maltreatment of the 2nd unfortunate - a lad aged astir 8 - began astir 10 years later.

The tribunal heard that helium warned them they would not beryllium believed if they told anyone astir his actions.

The justice added Dott's victims had experienced "overwhelming emotions of fear, shame and anger" arsenic a effect of the abuse, affecting their intelligence wellness into adulthood.

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

As Lord Harrower addressed him, Dott repeatedly shook his caput successful evident disbelief.

The justice added societal enactment reports person deemed Dott poses a "below mean hazard of reoffending", but arsenic helium inactive maintains his innocence, Lord Harrower could not instrumentality into relationship immoderate remorse from Dott.

The tribunal besides heard that Dott has already been the taxable of threats successful prison, and moved to a antithetic jailhouse arsenic a result.

Euan Dow, representing Dott, told the tribunal the father-of-two was present separated from his woman but "continues to bask the enactment of his household and friends".

He added Dott suffers from "long-standing intelligence wellness issues" and that his idiosyncratic and nonrecreational reputations had been destroyed.

The condemnation of 7 years has been backdated to 24 August, which is erstwhile the 49-year-old was remanded successful custody.

He volition walk the remainder of his beingness connected the enactment offenders register.

Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook, of the Crown Office, said: "Graeme Dott achieved occurrence and nationalist admiration but, successful private, helium exploited the spot of 2 children to maltreatment and coerce them.

"Dott's transgression behaviour has been his downfall and helium present faces the consequences of his actions."

She added that "justice has nary clip limit" and encouraged immoderate victims of humanities maltreatment to study it.

During the trial, the tribunal heard that Dott had exposed himself and inappropriately touched a superior schoolhouse miss successful the 1990s and attacked a young lad betwixt 2006 and 2010.

Dott called the allegations made against him "disgusting".

The girl, present a pistillate successful her 40s, said Dott had "caressed" her bottommost portion giving her a piggyback and that, connected different occasion, helium had exposed himself to her.

On different occasion, she said Dott, of Glasgow, suggested she "take her trousers down" and lifted her apical and began kissing her tummy aft asking if she wanted to "play a guessing game".

The unfortunate said Dott would buss her, interaction her inappropriately and carried retired a intersexual enactment that would, if committed now, magnitude to rape.

She said she recalled the "smell" of creams Dott utilized for a tegument information aft helium kissed her and that the actions near her "shocked and scared".

The tribunal heard that Dott bought her a teddy carnivore with a emotion bosom connected it successful the people of the abuse.

Police antecedently contacted Dott astir the allegations successful 2001, but nary charges were brought.

The pistillate gave a caller connection to constabulary successful 2025.

During his evidence, Dott's antheral unfortunate said the maltreatment began soon aft Dott defeated Peter Ebdon to triumph his sole satellite rubric astatine The Crucible successful Sheffield successful 2006.

The boy, present a antheral successful his 20s, said helium was astir 8 years aged erstwhile Dott molested him successful a ablution astatine a location successful South Lanarkshire.

He told the tribunal that Dott "rewarded" him with crisps and fizzy drinks and erstwhile handed him a £50 note, lone to impeach the lad of stealing it erstwhile his parents recovered retired helium had the money.

He besides said helium was abused successful a car connected a fig of occasions and "inappropriately touched" portion Dott played online poker.

Dott was convicted of lewd and libidinous practices, which notation to immoderate intersexual crimes against children committed anterior to 1 December 2010.

The offence was abolished successful 2009, but is inactive utilized for crimes carried retired earlier then.

Following his condemnation successful August, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said it had permanently revoked Dott's rank with contiguous effect.

Dott was antecedently suspended from each nonrecreational snooker activities connected 9 April 2025 pending the result of his trial.

He was subsequently relegated from the nonrecreational ranking database astatine the decision of the 2025/26 season.

Dott has 2 erstwhile convictions for insignificant roadworthy postulation offences successful 2013 and 2015.