Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott jailed for seven years for child sex abuse

Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of sexually abusing two children.

Dott, 49, was convicted of two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in August.

The 2006 world champion had been suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in April 2025 after being charged with historical sexual offences.

The court heard that Dott exposed himself and inappropriately touched a primary school-aged girl between 1993 and 1996.

He was also found guilty of sexually abusing a boy between 2006 and 2010.

Dott was sentenced to seven years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday (September 29).

Before delivering the sentence, judge Lord Harrower told the court that both children had been vulnerable and said Dott's behaviour towards them "bore the classic hallmarks of grooming".

As Lord Harrower addressed him, Dott shook his head at some of the details outlined by the judge and gave evidence during his trial while branding the allegations “nonsense” and “lies”.

He told the court: “I have never acted inappropriately with anyone."

According to BBC News, Dott continues to maintain his innocence. Lord Harrower said he was therefore unable to take into account any remorse or insight into his offending when passing sentence.

In addition, Euan Dow, representing Dott, told the court the father-of-two was separated from his wife. But Dow reaffirmed that he “continues to enjoy the support of his family and friends”.

He added that he also suffers from "long-standing mental health issues". Meanwhile, the defence agent told the court Dott had already been the subject of threats in prison, and had been moved as a result of becoming “a target within the custodial establishment.

His first female victim was aged just nine at the time, and he was 16. The boy was eight when he was first targeted by Dott, who was 28 by then.

Dott, who turned professional in 1994, became snooker world champion in 2006 after beating Peter Ebdon 18-14 in the final at the Crucible.

He was also World Championship runner-up in 2004 and 2010 but was beaten by Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson, respectively, while reaching a career-high ranking of world number two during the 2007/08 season.

Following his conviction in August, Dott's name was removed from World Snooker's Hall of Fame.

This is a breaking news story from the team at SPORTbible and will be updated in due course. In the meantime, please follow us on our social channels for the latest information.