Graeme Dott: Former World Snooker Champion Sentenced to Seven Years for Child Sexual Abuse

Graeme Dott, the Scottish snooker player who reached the pinnacle of his sport by winning the World Championship in 2006, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for child sexual abuse. The 49-year-old was handed the term at the High Court in Edinburgh after a jury found him guilty of two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour involving a girl and a boy, offences that spanned nearly two decades between 1993 and 2010.

The sentencing brings an end to a prosecution that had followed Dott for years and marks a dramatic fall from grace for a figure once celebrated on the green baize of Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. According to the BBC, Dott showed no emotion as the sentence was pronounced, offering only a brief nod to someone in the public gallery before security officers led him away.

Judge Lord Harrower delivered a damning assessment of Dott's conduct, telling the court that the former champion had robbed his victims of "a significant part of their childhood." The judge said the abuse bore the hallmarks of grooming, noting that Dott rewarded the children with treats and disguised his behaviour as part of a game. He described the conduct as a "gross violation of trust."

The court was told that each of Dott's victims was vulnerable for reasons that went beyond their age, though the judge did not elaborate on those specific circumstances. Lord Harrower said both victims had experienced "overwhelming emotions of fear, shame and anger" as a result of the abuse, and that the psychological damage had continued to affect their mental health into adulthood.

Details of the offences emerged during the trial at the High Court in Glasgow. The court heard that Dott was 16 or 17 years old when he began abusing the female victim, who was around nine years old at the time. His abuse of the second victim, a boy aged about eight, began roughly a decade later. The judge noted that Dott warned both children they would not be believed if they disclosed what had happened to them.

During the trial, prosecutors described specific incidents involving the girl, who is now a woman in her forties. She told the court that Dott had "caressed" her bottom while giving her a piggyback and that on another occasion he had exposed himself to her. She also described an incident in which Dott suggested she "take her trousers down" and lifted her top, kissing her stomach after asking if she wanted to "play a guessing game."

The woman said Dott would kiss her, touch her inappropriately and carried out a sexual act that would, if committed under current law, amount to rape. She recalled the "smell" of creams he used for a skin condition after he kissed her, and said his actions left her "shocked and scared." The court also heard that Dott bought her a teddy bear with a love heart on it during the course of the abuse.

Police had previously contacted Dott about the allegations in 2001, but no charges were brought at that time. The case was revived when the woman gave a new statement to police in 2025, a development that ultimately led to prosecution. Dott had consistently denied the allegations, calling them "disgusting" in public comments.

Dott's defence counsel, Euan Dow, told the court that his client is a father of two who is now separated from his wife but "continues to enjoy the support of his family and friends." Dow added that Dott suffers from "long-standing mental health issues" and that both his personal and professional reputations had been destroyed by the case. Social work reports assessed Dott as posing a "below average risk of reoffending."

However, Lord Harrower said he could not take any expression of remorse into account because Dott continues to maintain his innocence. The judge also noted that Dott had already been the subject of threats in prison and had been moved to a different jail as a result. As he was addressed, Dott repeatedly shook his head in apparent disbelief, according to courtroom reporters.

The seven-year sentence has been backdated to 24 August, the date Dott was remanded in custody following his conviction. He will remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life, a consequence that legal experts say reflects the seriousness with which courts now treat historical sexual offences against children.

Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook, of the Crown Office, welcomed the outcome. She said Dott "achieved success and public admiration but, in private, he exploited the trust of two children to abuse and coerce them." Cook added that Dott's "criminal behaviour has been his downfall and he now faces the consequences of his actions." She urged any victims of historical abuse to come forward, stressing that "justice has no time limit."

The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions involving historical child sexual abuse in Scotland, where authorities have increasingly encouraged survivors to report offences regardless of how much time has passed. Legal analysts note that improvements in how police handle historical allegations, combined with greater public awareness, have contributed to a rise in such cases reaching court. The use of a "lewd and libidinous behaviour" charge reflects the law as it stood in Scotland at the time of the earlier offences, before modern sexual offences legislation came into force.

Dott's conviction and sentence bring a definitive end to a career that once seemed defined by sporting achievement. His 2006 world title remains a significant moment in Scottish snooker history, but it will now be overshadowed by the crimes for which he has been jailed. For his victims, the sentencing closes one chapter of a long and painful process; for the wider public, the case serves as a reminder that reputation and achievement offer no protection when evidence of serious abuse emerges.