Former world snooker champion Graeme Dott appears in court over indecency charges
Former World Snooker champion Graeme Dott has appeared at the High Court in Glasgow, accused of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour against two primary school-age children, reports BritPanorama.
Dott denied both charges against him, which span from the 1990s to 2010. The first set of allegations relates to a girl and is said to have taken place between 1993 and 1996 in Glasgow, while the second involves a boy and covers the period from 2006 to 2010, also in Glasgow.
The jury heard testimony from one of the alleged victims, a woman now in her 40s, who described being sexually abused by Dott on numerous occasions during her childhood. She gave her evidence from behind a screen.
According to her account, the first incident occurred when Dott offered to carry her on his back. She described climbing onto him and wrapping her arms and legs around his body. After walking a brief distance, she stated they paused for what she estimated was a “couple of minutes”.
The woman told the court: “He started to caress my backside with his hands,” adding that his hands had been over her clothing. She further alleged that Dott suggested they “play a game” on a separate occasion, saying it would be a guessing game where she had to guess what he was doing.
Answering questions from prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel, the witness stated Dott then exposed himself and proceeded to touch her with different parts of his body. She told the court: “He would touch me with his hand, and said that’s my hand. Now you know what that feels like.” She added, “Then he kissed me, and I knew what that felt like,” explaining that the objective was for her to identify what was touching her.
The witness noted that this guessing game had been repeated on more than one occasion. Dott, who was present throughout the proceedings, appeared in the dock wearing a dark suit. The case is being heard before Judge Lord Harrower and is anticipated to run for up to five days. The trial continues.
