Snooker champion Graeme Dott guilty of child sex abuse
tags:Graeme Dott was found guilty of two charges at the High Court in Glasgow
Image source, PA Media
ByJames Delaney
BBC Scotland
Updated 58 minutes ago
Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of child sexual abuse.
The 49-year-old denied two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy between 1993 and 2010.
During a trial, the High Court in Glasgow 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.
Lord Harrower told Dott, who won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, he would be sentenced at a separate hearing in Edinburgh on 29 September.
Dott covered his face with his hands and shook his head while the verdict was delivered by jurors following a five-day trial.
He previously called the allegations made against him "disgusting".
Image source, Getty Images
Dott won the world championship title in 2006
Lewd and libidinous practices 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.
During the trial, the court heard how Dott had "caressed" the girl's bottom while giving her a piggyback and that, on another occasion, he had exposed himself to her.
On another occasion, she said Dott 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 girl, now a woman in her 40s, 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".
'Rewarded' with gifts
The court heard how 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, the boy said his abuse at the hands of Dott began not long after he 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 how 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.
Snooker champion Graeme Dott guilty of child sex abuse
Dott had told the trial the allegations were false and that he had "never acted inappropriately with anyone".
Det Insp Gary Smillie, of Police Scotland, described Dott as a "dangerous individual".
He added: "I hope this conviction provides some measure of comfort to those impacted by his crimes.
"His conviction is as a direct result of their strength in coming forward and providing information which assisted our inquiries."
Lord Harrower was told the woman had provided a victim impact statement for him to consider before sentencing next month.
Dott was taken into custody until then.
Removed from sport
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said it had permanently revoked Dott's membership with immediate effect.
This followed an emergency board meeting board where it was unanimously agreed to removed him from the sport.
The WPBSA has also written to World Snooker Tour (WST) to request his immediate removal from the WST Hall of Fame.
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.