Former snooker champion Graeme Dott jailed seven years for child sexual abuse
Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing a girl in the 1990s and a boy between 2006 and 2010.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing two children. The 49-year-old was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after being convicted last month. He shook his head in the dock as the sentence was passed and continues to deny responsibility.
The court heard that Dott abused a girl, referred to in court as Jane, during the 1990s when she was of primary school age. The judge said what he did would today be classed as rape. Dott was still a child at the time of that offending, the judge noted. The second victim was a boy, referred to as Kevin, who was abused between 2006 and 2010. Dott was a married man in his thirties with a family of his own by then. The abuse began shortly after he won the World Snooker Championship in 2006. The offences spanned 1993 to 2010. One incident involved molesting a young boy in a shower in the Glasgow area. The court was told Dott rewarded the boy with crisps, sweets and treats. He also warned one victim that no one would believe her if she spoke up.
Sentencing, Judge Lord Harrower said each child was vulnerable for reasons beyond their age. He said Dott's behaviour bore the classic hallmarks of grooming, involved a gross violation of trust, and robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood. Dott disguised the abuse as part of a game or personal care, the judge said. Both victims described lasting trauma, including fear, shame and anger, and continuing effects on their mental wellbeing in adulthood. The sentencing hearing lasted around 10 minutes.
Dott gave evidence during his trial and dismissed the claims as lies and nonsense. His lawyer said he continues to deny responsibility but accepts that his conviction has destroyed his professional and personal reputation. The lawyer also said Dott had long-standing mental health issues. Social work reports found he posed a below-average risk of reoffending, but because he maintains his innocence the judge could not take any remorse into account.
Dott turned professional in 1994 and won the World Snooker Championship in 2006 at the Crucible in Sheffield. He was a three-time world finalist. After his conviction he was removed from the World Snooker Hall of Fame and banned from snooker for life. The Crown Office welcomed the sentence and paid tribute to the courage of both victims. Dott arrived at court in handcuffs and was described as barely recognisable from the player who once reached the top of the sport.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graeme Dott was given a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing children. | ||||
| The judge described Dott's behaviour as classic grooming and a serious breach of trust that deprived his victims of childhood. | ||||
| The abuse involved a girl in the 1990s and a boy between 2006 and 2010. | · | |||
| The abuse lasted almost 20 years and included a main incident in 2006 around the time Dott won the World Snooker Championship. | · | · | ||
| Dott was banned from snooker for life and removed from the Hall of Fame. | · | · | · | |
| Dott's lawyer accepted that his professional and personal reputations had been destroyed. | · | · | · | |
| The Crown Office welcomed the sentence and said Dott's behaviour was his downfall. | · | · | · | |
| The judge could not consider remorse because Dott maintains his innocence. | · | · | · | |
| The judge said Dott was a child when he offended against Jane and a married man in his thirties when he began abusing Kevin. | · | · | · | |
| The judge said Dott's first victim was a primary school girl and his actions would today be classed as rape. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News treated the sentencing as a dramatic fall from grace, contrasting Dott's snooker success with detailed courtroom testimony about abuse. Its correspondents used strong language such as convicted paedophile and focused on the timing of the abuse around his 2006 world title. The channel also gave specific victim detail, including the shower incident and rewards of crisps and sweets.
- “what a fall from grace. Graeme Dott now a convicted paedophile”
- “He rewarded the boy with crisps and sweets, a reward strategy for the abuse the court was told.”
- “She described Dott placing various body parts on her while she was lying on a bed and he then told her that no one would believe her if she dared to speak up.”
5 News gave short, direct bulletin reports on the jailing, then a longer evening report with more detail on the abuse and sentencing. It highlighted the judge's comments that Dott had robbed the victims of part of their childhood and that no remorse could be taken into account because he still denies the offences. The channel kept the story within a wider lunchtime or evening news round-up rather than making it the sole focus.
- “disgraced former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing two school-aged children”
- “The judge at the High Court in Edinburgh said he had robbed his victims of part of their childhood”
- “Because the ex snooker pro maintains he's innocent. He couldn't take into account any remorse when sentencing”
BBC ONE West used a measured court report built around the judge's sentencing remarks and the timeline of the offences. It stressed that the first victim was a primary school girl and that the conduct would today be classed as rape, while also noting Dott's continued denial and the destruction of his reputation. The channel presented the case as a complete fall from sporting grace.
- “Your behaviour towards them bore the classic hallmarks of grooming.”
- “What he did, the judge told him, would today be classed as rape.”
- “Dott has been banned from snooker for life and removed from the Hall of Fame.”
ITV1 gave a detailed legal account, naming Judge Lord Harrower and reporting the judge's direct remarks to Dott. It included the victim names used in court, Jane and Kevin, and noted that Dott was still a child when he offended against Jane but a married man in his thirties when he abused Kevin. The channel also carried the Crown Office response and praise for the victims' courage.
- “You disguised your abuse as part of a game or personal care.”
- “Both were of primary school age. The judge today told Dott he had robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood.”
- “Of course, at the time of your offending against Jane, you yourself were still a child. However, by the time you began abusing Kevin, you were a married man in your thirties with a family of your own.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:40 BST
Lord Harrower, Judge
“Your behaviour towards them bore the classic hallmarks of”
ITV Lunchtime News · Tue 29 Sept
- 02:53 BST
“We follow them really well, and we thought we expect a bit more and we know they can bring more”
Sky News · Wed 30 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.