
Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott jailed for child sexual abuse
Dott, 49, receives seven-year sentence after abusing a boy and a girl in what judge says was âÂÂgross violation of trustâÂÂ
The former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years at the high court in Edinburgh after being convicted of sexually abusing two children.
In August, Dott was found guilty of sexually abusing a boy and a girl after a five-day trial at Glasgow high court. The court heard that the 2006 world champion inappropriately touched and exposed himself to both children. He denied the charges but was convicted of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour by a majority verdict.
Dott appeared at the high court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where the judge, Lord Harrower, told him he had âÂÂrobbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhoodâÂÂ.
Imposing a backdated sentence of seven years, he said the 49-year-oldâÂÂs behaviour had involved a âÂÂgross violation of trustâÂÂ.
Between 1993 and 1996, Dott targeted a girl on multiple occasions. The woman, now in her 40s, told the trial that the abuse began when he started âÂÂcaressingâ her bottom over her clothing while giving her a piggyback.
She told the court that Dott had told her not to tell anyone that he was sexually abusing her, describing incidents when he had suggested playing a âÂÂguessing gameâÂÂ. He would expose himself to her, she said, and began touching her with different parts of his body, including his penis.
The second victim, a man now in his late 20s, was targeted between 2006 and 2010. He said he was sexually abused by Dott on multiple occasions, with the snooker player touching him inappropriately, kissing him and performing sexual acts. He told the court a lot of the abuse took place while he was in a shower, when Dott would come in either partly or completely undressed.
âÂÂHe would ⦠come into the shower and put soap on my body and wash me in the shower,â the man told the court. âÂÂWhile he was washing me he would touch me in inappropriate places.âÂÂ
He said looking back at it now, Dott was âÂÂclearly getting sexual gratification from itâÂÂ, and he was âÂÂpleasuring himselfâ while this was taking place. The man said that because of his age at the time, he âÂÂdid not know what was going onâÂÂ, and it was only later he realised the interaction âÂÂwasnâÂÂt rightâÂÂ. The witness also described abuse which took place in a car, where he said Dott would kiss him on the face, head and lips and âÂÂpush himself up against meâÂÂ.
Harrower remanded Dott in custody and his name was added to the sex offender register.
Dott, who turned professional in 1994, won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, defeating Peter Ebdon in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield. He reached the final in two other years but was beaten by Ronnie OâÂÂSullivan in 2004 and Neil Robertson in 2010.
Following his conviction, DottâÂÂs name was removed from World SnookerâÂÂs hall of fame.
