Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has been convicted of sexually abusing two primary school-aged children. The 49-year-old carried out multiple incidents of abuse against both a girl and a boy, with the girl targeted between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010.
During a five-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow, jurors heard that Dott had exposed himself to both children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them. On Monday, he was found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards them.
Abuse in the Glasgow area
The abuse took place in the Glasgow area in both instances. Throughout the trial, jurors heard testimony from one of Dott's victims, a woman now in her 40s, who told the court she had been sexually abused by Dott on numerous separate occasions as a child.
She stated that the abuse had begun with Dott "caressing" her bottom over her clothing while giving her a piggyback. The woman also recalled an incident in which she claimed Dott proposed playing a "guessing game" where she was required to guess what he was doing.
She informed the court that she lay down, after which he exposed himself to her and proceeded to touch her with various parts of his body, including his penis.
Second victim's testimony
The woman further told the court that Dott instructed her not to tell anyone about the sexual abuse. The second victim, a man now in his late 20s, stated he was sexually abused by Dott on multiple occasions, with the snooker player touching him inappropriately, kissing him, and performing sexual acts upon him.
The court heard that much of the alleged abuse occurred while the victim was showering, during which Dott would enter either partly or completely undressed.
"He would... come into the shower and put soap on my body and wash me in the shower," the man told the court. "While he was washing me he would touch me in inappropriate places."
Reflecting on the incidents, the man stated that Dott was "clearly getting sexual gratification from it", and that he was "pleasuring himself" throughout. Due to his young age at the time, he said he "did not know what was going on", only later coming to understand that the interaction "wasn't right".
The witness further described incidents of abuse in a car, alleging that Dott would kiss him on his face, head and lips, and "push himself up against me".
Dott's denial and conviction
Giving evidence last week, Dott had said there was "absolutely no way" he sexually abused two children.
During cross-examination by prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel, Dott rejected suggestions that he had been attracted to the girl during her youth, branding the notion "disgusting". When Ms Dalziel challenged Dott over allegations that he had touched the first victim and directed her actions, he flatly denied the claims, dismissing them as "lies".
Regarding the second victim, Dott insisted he was "never in my company", rejecting all allegations of abuse outright.
In her closing speech on Friday, Ms Dalziel urged the jury to return a guilty verdict on both charges. She stated: "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's lawyer, Euan Dow, had urged jurors to acquit his client of both charges. However, Dott, who won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, was convicted on Monday following the trial which commenced on Tuesday August 18.
