Nocturnal 
Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years after being convicted of sexually abusing two children over a 17-year period.
The 49-year-old, who won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday. He had been found guilty in August, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour.
The offences involved a girl who was nine at the time Dott first targeted her, between 1993 and 1996, when Dott was 16, and a boy who was eight when the abuse began in 2006, continuing until 2010, by which point Dott was 28 and the reigning world champion.
What the court heard
Prosecutors said Dott exposed himself to both children, touched them inappropriately and kissed them. The female victim, now in her 40s, told the trial the abuse began when Dott was giving her a piggyback and continued on multiple occasions afterwards. The male victim, now in his late 20s, said much of the abuse he suffered took place in a shower, where Dott would enter partly or fully undressed.
Both victims said Dott had asked them to keep the abuse secret, in one case reportedly offering gifts or money. Dott denied every allegation throughout the trial, telling the court “I have never acted inappropriately with anyone” and describing the claims as “nonsense” and “lies”.
The court heard that police first spoke to Dott about the allegations in 2001, but no charges followed at that time. It wasn’t until a second complaint was made in 2024 that the case progressed to trial. A jury convicted him by majority verdict on 24 August.
‘A gross violation of trust’
Sentencing Dott, judge Lord Harrower said his behaviour had involved a “gross violation of trust” and told him he had “robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood”. The seven-year sentence was backdated to 24 August, when Dott was first remanded in custody.
The court was told Dott, a father-of-two now separated from his wife, has long-standing mental health issues but continues to have the support of family and friends. His defence lawyer said Dott’s personal and professional reputations had been “destroyed” and that he had already been threatened by other prisoners, resulting in him being moved within the jail.
A social work report reportedly assessed Dott as posing a “below average risk of reoffending”, though the judge noted this was against the backdrop of Dott continuing to deny his guilt. He was remanded in custody and added to the sex offender register.
From Crucible glory to disgrace
Dott turned professional in 1994 and became one of Scottish snooker’s biggest names, beating Peter Ebdon in the 2006 World Championship final at the Crucible in Sheffield. He also reached the final in 2004, losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan, and in 2010, losing to Neil Robertson — the same year his second victim’s abuse came to an end.
Following his conviction in August, World Snooker removed Dott’s name from its Hall of Fame, with officials saying he has no future in the sport.
Dott is now serving his seven-year sentence, with the case standing as one of the most striking falls from grace in British sport in recent years.
