Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott guilty of sexually abusing two primary school age children
Developing story first seen 4 hours ago
New details have emerged from Graeme Dott's trial at the High Court in Glasgow, where the former world snooker champion was convicted of two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour against a girl and a boy between 1993 and 2010. The 49-year-old, who denied the charges, showed no visible reaction beyond covering his face and shaking his head as the jury delivered its verdict after a five-day trial; he was then taken into custody ahead of sentencing at Edinburgh High Court on 29 September. Dott, who won the World Championship at the Crucible in 2006, had previously described the allegations as "disgusting".
The court heard that Dott exposed himself to and inappropriately touched a primary school-age girl during the 1990s, including "caressing" her bottom while giving her a piggyback; police were told of these allegations in 2001 but no charges followed until the woman made a fresh statement in 2025. Separately, jurors heard he abused a young boy between 2006 and 2010, molesting him in the shower at a South Lanarkshire home and "rewarding" him with money, crisps and fizzy drinks, as well as abusing him in a car and while playing online poker. The charges relate to "lewd and libidinous practices", a historic Scots law offence used for child sex crimes committed before its abolition in December 2010.
- Dott convicted on two child sex abuse charges after five-day trial
- Taken into custody; sentencing set for 29 September in Edinburgh
- Offences against a girl and boy spanned 1993 to 2010
New here? Start with this
Graeme Dott is a professional snooker player from Scotland, best known for winning the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2006. He has now been convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour, an older Scots law term for sexual offences against children, involving a girl and a boy over a period spanning 1993 to 2010.
The case centres on two separate victims. One allegation, involving a young girl, dates back to the 1990s and was first reported to police in 2001, though no charges followed until she gave a new statement in 2025; the other involved a young boy and is said to have taken place between 2006 and 2010. Dott denied all the charges throughout the five-day trial.
The verdict matters both because of Dott's public profile as a well-known sports figure and because the case highlights how allegations of child sexual abuse can take many years, sometimes decades, to reach court. He is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on 29 September.
More coverage