Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been sentenced to seven years in jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing two primary school-age children. The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy to multiple incidents of abuse, with the girl targeted between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010.
Court sentencing
Dott appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where judge Lord Harrower told him he had “robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood”. Imposing a backdated sentence of seven years, he said Dott’s behaviour had involved a “gross violation of trust”.
A five-day trial heard Dott exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately and kissed them. In August, he was found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards them.
Victim testimony
During the trial, jurors heard from one of Dott’s victims, a woman now in her 40s. She told the court that Dott had sexually abused her on multiple separate occasions while she was a child. The second victim, a man who is now in his late 20s, said he was sexually abused by Dott on multiple occasions. Dott had denied the charges but was found guilty by the jury.
Lord Harrower remanded him in custody and his name was added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. Sentencing Dott, Lord Harrower said his actions bore “the hallmarks of grooming”.
Judge's remarks
Referring to the girl as Jane and the boy as Kevin, both pseudonyms, he said: “In both cases the abuse included penetrative sexual activity and in the case of Jane behaviour that would now be classed as rape.” He said that both children were vulnerable and added: “Your behaviour bore the hallmarks of grooming.”
Lord Harrower said that while the offending against Jane happened while Dott was still a child aged around 16 or 17 himself, the offences against Kevin took place while Dott was an adult. He said: “You robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood.” The judge said Dott’s only previous convictions had been for “relatively minor road traffic offences”.
Defence and background
Dott, who appeared in the dock wearing a light pink shirt and a suit, was led away in handcuffs following the sentencing. Dott’s lawyer Euan Dow spoke in mitigation at the hearing in Edinburgh. He said the 49-year-old was now separated from his wife but she remains supportive of him. Mr Dow said his client had left school aged 15 in order to pursue a career as a professional snooker player.
Dott has “long standing mental health issues” and “recognises that a custodial sentence is inevitable”, he said. Mr Dow said that following the conviction “both his personal and professional reputations have been destroyed”, noting that Dott has been removed from World Snooker’s hall of fame. The court heard Dott continues to maintain his innocence.
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 O’Sullivan in 2004 and Neil Robertson in 2010. Following his conviction, Dott’s name was removed from World Snooker’s hall of fame.
Prosecution response
Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “Graeme Dott achieved success and public admiration but, in private, he exploited the trust of two children to abuse and coerce them. Dott’s criminal behaviour has been his downfall and he now faces the consequences of his actions. 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. COPFS recognises it can be difficult to report non-recent offending, perhaps even more so by figures who have authority or profile. But we will take all reports seriously, we will listen and we will prosecute robustly wherever possible. Justice has no time limit.”
A Police Scotland detective had earlier described Dott as a “dangerous individual”. Following Dott’s conviction on August 24, detective inspector Gary Smillie praised the bravery of the snooker player’s victims in coming forward with details of his crimes. The female victim first gave a statement to police about Dott’s behaviour in 2001.
