World Snooker Removes Graeme Dott From Hall of Fame After Conviction

World Snooker has removed former world champion Graeme Dott from its Hall of Fame after he was convicted of sexually abusing two children. BBC News reported that the organisation confirmed the 49-year-old's removal with immediate effect, ending his inclusion among players recognised for an outstanding contribution to snooker.

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Dott was found guilty on Monday following a five-day trial of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour. The offences involved a girl and a boy and took place between 1993 and 2010, according to the BBC report. He is due to be sentenced next month.

The trial heard that Dott exposed himself to and inappropriately touched a primary school girl during the 1990s. A second victim told the court that Dott began abusing him when he was about eight, shortly after Dott won the world championship in 2006. The BBC reported that the historical Scottish offence applied to sexual crimes against children committed before December 2010.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association responded separately to the verdict by permanently revoking Dott's membership. The WPBSA said an emergency board meeting unanimously agreed to remove him from the sport. Dott had been suspended from all professional snooker activity on 9 April 2025 while the case was pending and was later relegated from the professional ranking list at the end of the 2025-26 season.

World Snooker's Hall of Fame decision adds another formal sanction from the sport's governing bodies following the court verdict. The BBC reported that Dott had previously described the allegations against him as disgusting. That denial preceded the trial's guilty verdict, with sentencing still to follow.

Dott turned professional in 1994 and spent more than three decades on the professional circuit. He reached the 2004 World Championship final, losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan, before winning his only world title in 2006. He added the China Open in 2007 for the second ranking title of his career and later reached a career-high world ranking of number two.