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Snooker champion Dott told boy to stay out while in room with girl, jury told
Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children in Scotland. He was convicted of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour, with sentencing scheduled for September 29.
Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children in Scotland. The 49-year-old was convicted on Monday after a five-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Dott was charged with two counts of "lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour" against a girl between 1993 and 1996, and a boy between 2006 and 2010. He denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury.
The court heard that Dott exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them. The abuse took place in the Glasgow area.
One victim, a woman now in her 40s, testified that Dott sexually abused her on multiple occasions. She said the abuse began with him "caressing" her bottom over her clothing while giving her a piggyback. On another occasion, she said, Dott suggested playing a "guessing game" during which he exposed himself and touched her with parts of his body, including his penis. She told the court that Dott told her not to tell anyone about the abuse.
The second victim, a man now in his late 20s, said Dott abused him on multiple occasions, touching him inappropriately, kissing him, and performing sexual acts. He testified that much of the abuse occurred in a shower, when Dott would enter either partly or completely undressed.
Detective Inspector Gary Smillie of Police Scotland described Dott as "a dangerous individual" and said he hoped the conviction "provides some measure of comfort to those impacted by his crimes." He praised the bravery of the victims in coming forward.
The woman first gave a statement to police in 2001, but no charges were brought at that time. A second individual later came forward with complaints, providing further information for police and prosecutors.
During the trial, a male witness who knew the girl as a child testified that Dott once told him not to enter a room while he was alone with her. The witness, now an adult, said this happened more than once and that Dott appeared "quite angry" when the child walked in.
In his closing speech, prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel told the jury: "The Crown's case is that Graeme Dott subjected vulnerable children to the worst kind of abuse with a course of conduct which relied on opportunity, for his own gratification."
Dott, who won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, beating Peter Ebdon 18-14 in the final, and was runner-up in 2004 and 2010, was suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) after the charges were announced last year. The WPBSA revoked his membership following an emergency board meeting and requested his removal from the WST Hall of Fame.
Lord Harrower ordered that Dott be held in custody ahead of sentencing, scheduled for September 29 at the High Court in Edinburgh.
How each outlet told it
ABC Australia
Framing: Highlights the 'dangerous individual' quote and his conviction. — Serious and authoritative.
Facts Included:
Dott found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school children.
Victims: girl (1993-96) and boy (2006-10).
Held in custody ahead of sentencing on September 29.
Framing: Focuses on a specific piece of testimony about Dott's behavior, rather than the overall case. — Factual and objective, reporting court proceedings.
Facts Included:
Dott allegedly told a boy not to go into a room while he was with a girl.
The witness, now an adult, recalled the incident from when he was nine or ten.
The witness said Dott became 'quite angry' when the child walked in.
The witness gave a police statement in 2001 and again in 2025.
Defense lawyer Euan Dow suggested the witness's memory had improved over time.
The girl's testimony included 'caressing' her bottom and exposing himself.
A woman who spoke to the girl as a teenager said a relative of Dott's called the claims 'a pack of lies'.
Framing: Part of a round-up of crime stories, focusing on the conviction and its placement in broader crime news. — Brief and matter-of-fact within a larger news roundup.
Facts Included:
Dott found guilty of sexually abusing two children.
Framing: Centers on the conviction and the fact that he is a former world champion, with a focus on the legal outcome. — Factual and restrained, with a serious tone.
Facts Included:
Dott, 49, was found guilty of abusing a girl (1993-96) and a boy (2006-10) after a five-day trial.
Judge ordered Dott be held in custody ahead of sentencing on Sept. 29.
The woman, now in her 40s, testified about abuse 'caressing' her bottom, exposing himself, and touching.
The man, now in his late 20s, said he was abused on multiple occasions.
Dott was suspended in April 2025 after being charged.
Framing: Highlights his status as 'former world champion' and the criminal conviction, focusing on the abuse but not the judicial details. — Neutral and factual, with a quote from police adding a moral judgment.
Facts Included:
Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott was convicted of sexually abusing two children.
He was charged with two counts of 'lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour' against a girl (1993-1996) and a boy (2006-2010).
He was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow and will be sentenced next month.
Quote from Detective Inspector Gary Smillie: 'Dott is a dangerous individual and I hope this conviction provides some measure of comfort to those impacted by his crimes.'
Dott won the world championship in 2006, beating Peter Ebdon 18-14, and was runner-up in 2004 and 2010.
He was suspended by the WPBSA after charges were announced last year.
Framing: Emphasizes the conviction and his status as former world champion, but focuses on the abuse details. — Serious and detailed, aiming for comprehensive coverage of court testimony.
Facts Included:
Dott found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school age children.
Victims: a girl (1993-96) and a boy (2006-10).
Details of abuse: exposed himself, touched inappropriately, kissed them.
Girl's testimony: abuse started with 'caressing' her bottom, 'guessing game' incident, told her not to tell.
Boy's testimony: abuse in shower, kissing, touching, described Dott 'pleasuring himself'.
Dott's denial and cross-examination remarks.
Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel's closing statement: 'worst kind of abuse...'
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimFormer world snooker champion Graeme Dott was found guilty of sexually abusing two children.
ClaimThe woman, now in her 40s, testified that Dott sexually abused her on multiple occasions, including 'caressing' her bottom over her clothing, exposing himself, and touching her with parts of his body including his penis.
ClaimThe man, now in his late 20s, said he was abused on multiple occasions, with Dott touching him inappropriately, kissing him, and performing sexual acts.
ClaimProsecutor Lindsey Dalziel said: 'The Crown's case is that Graeme Dott subjected vulnerable children to the worst kind of abuse with a course of conduct which relied on opportunity, for his own gratification.'