Snooker Champion Graeme Dott Found Guilty of Child Sexual Abuse

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of two charges involving sexual abuse of children following a five-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 49-year-old denied the allegations, which related to offences committed between 1993 and 2010. Jurors found him guilty after hearing evidence concerning a girl and a boy who were children at the time.

The court heard allegations that Dott exposed himself to and inappropriately touched a primary school-aged girl during the 1990s. The woman, now in her 40s, described a series of incidents that she said left her shocked and frightened.

Jurors also heard evidence from a man who said he was about eight years old when he was abused by Dott. The alleged abuse included incidents at a home in South Lanarkshire, in a car and while Dott played online poker.

The court heard that the boy was allegedly given food, drinks and money during the period of abuse. He told jurors that Dott began abusing him not long after the snooker player won the World Championship in 2006.

Dott denied the allegations during the trial and maintained that he had never behaved inappropriately with anyone. He had previously described the accusations against him as “disgusting.”

As the guilty verdicts were delivered, Dott covered his face with his hands and shook his head.

The offences of lewd and libidinous behaviour relate to sexual crimes against children committed before December 2010. Although the offence was subsequently abolished, it remains applicable to historical cases involving conduct that occurred before the change in the law.

The court was told that police had previously contacted Dott about allegations in 2001, but no charges were brought at that time. A new statement was provided to police in 2025.

Dott, who won the World Snooker Championship at Sheffield's Crucible in 2006, is due to be sentenced at a separate hearing in Edinburgh on 29 September.

He was taken into custody following the verdict and will remain there until the sentencing hearing.

The case marks a dramatic fall from grace for a player who reached the pinnacle of professional snooker nearly two decades ago. The forthcoming sentencing hearing will determine the consequences of the convictions.