Former Snooker Champion Graeme Dott Goes on Trial in Glasgow

Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott has gone on trial at the High Court in Glasgow over allegations of child sexual abuse. BBC News reported that the 49-year-old denies the charges against him. The proceedings are continuing before Judge Lord Harrower.

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Dott is accused of lewd and libidinous behaviour toward two children, a girl and a boy, between 1993 and 2010. According to the BBC report, the alleged incidents are said to have happened on various occasions at addresses in Glasgow's east end and South Lanarkshire, as well as in a car. The allegations have not been proven.

The charge involving the girl includes claims that Dott touched her inappropriately, instructed her to remove clothing and exposed himself. The separate allegations involving the boy include claims that Dott made sexual remarks, entered a bathroom while the boy was showering and molested him. Dott has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A female witness, now in her 40s, told the court that the first alleged incident occurred when she was nine or 10 at a house in Glasgow. She described an occasion on which Dott allegedly touched her over her clothing after carrying her downstairs. The witness said she found the interaction unusual and alleged that abuse happened several times.

The woman told the court that she did not disclose the alleged incidents at the time because, she said, Dott told her not to. She later confided in a friend without giving details and spoke to a teacher before meeting police in January 2001, the BBC reported. She said officers came to her home in 2024 and that she had not initiated that contact.

Dott won snooker's world championship in 2006. The current case concerns criminal allegations unrelated to his results in the sport, and the trial remains in progress. No verdict has been reached, and the evidence reported from court represents claims being tested through the judicial process.