Graeme Dott once stood at the pinnacle of his sport, lifting the World Snooker Championship trophy at the Crucible in 2006. On Tuesday, the 49-year-old Scot stood in a different kind of arena, handcuffed and silent, as a judge sentenced him to seven years in prison for sexually abusing two children.
The former world champion showed no emotion as he was led away from the High Court in Edinburgh, his once-glittering career reduced to a cell and a lifetime on the sex offenders register.
The Crimes: A Decade of Abuse
Dott was convicted in August 2026 of two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a girl and a boy, crimes committed between 1993 and 2010.
The abuse against the girl, referred to in court as Jane, began when she was about nine years old. Dott was just 16 or 17 at the time. The offences against her spanned 1993 to 1996 and included behaviour the judge said would now be classed as rape.
The second victim, a boy called Kevin, was about eight years old when Dott molested him in a shower at a home in South Lanarkshire. That abuse took place between 2006 and 2010, when Dott was an adult.
The five-day trial heard harrowing testimony from both victims, now a woman in her 40s and a man in his late 20s. They described how Dott exposed himself, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them. The court heard he rewarded them with treats, disguised the abuse as games, and warned them they would not be believed if they told anyone.
‘You Robbed Them of Their Childhood’
Sentencing Dott, Judge Lord Harrower did not mince words. He told the former champion that his behaviour “bore the classic hallmarks of grooming” and amounted to a “gross violation of trust.”
“You robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood,” the judge said. He noted the victims experienced “overwhelming emotions of fear, shame and anger” that had affected their mental health into adulthood.
The judge acknowledged that social work reports deemed Dott to pose a “below average risk of reoffending,” but said he could not take remorse or insight into account because Dott continues to maintain his innocence.
The Fall: Removed from Hall of Fame
The conviction has obliterated Dott’s legacy in the sport.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) suspended Dott in April 2025 when charges were first brought, and permanently revoked his membership following the guilty verdict.
His name has been removed from the World Snooker Hall of Fame. He was relegated from the professional ranking list at the end of the 2025/26 season.
His lawyer, Euan Dow, told the court that both Dott’s “personal and professional reputations have been destroyed.”
A Career Defined by Tragedy and Triumph
Dott’s 2006 World Championship victory was one of snooker’s most emotional stories. He dedicated the win to his wife, Elaine, who had died in a freak accident just months before the tournament. The image of a grieving husband overcoming tragedy to win sport’s biggest prize endeared him to millions.
He also reached the World Championship final in 2004, losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan, and again in 2010, losing to Neil Robertson. He turned professional in 1994 and was ranked as high as number six in the world.
Now, that story ends in a prison cell.
The Victims Who Spoke
Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook of the Crown Office praised the victims for coming forward.
“Graeme Dott achieved success and public admiration but, in private, he exploited the trust of two children to abuse and coerce them,” she said. “At the heart of his offending are victims who were harmed when very young and we are grateful that they felt able to report their experiences.”
The female victim first gave a statement to police about Dott’s behaviour in 2001, more than two decades before he was brought to justice.
The Bottom Line
Graeme Dott won the biggest prize in his sport. He was celebrated, admired, and inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was also, for years, a child abuser who hid behind his public persona.
The seven-year sentence was backdated to August 24, when he was remanded in custody. He will spend the rest of his life on the sex offenders register.
For his victims, the wait for justice is over. For Dott, the fall is complete.
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