Graeme Dott, a 48-year-old retired world champion snooker player, faces his economic and legal day of reckoning. He goes to trial, ultimately acquitted on two counts of sexual abuse, one against a male and one against a female. The High Court in Glasgow has set a trial date of August 17, 2024. Dott, who famously won the World Snooker Championship in 2006 by defeating Peter Ebdon at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, has denied the allegations against him.
Dott was in hot water. In response, snooker’s governing body suspended him from all activities within days in April. This suspension came about only after a protracted investigation into the allegation by the school.
A virtual hearing ran on Thursday, during which Dott wasn’t available. His defence is being handled by Euan Dow of Chambers Solicitors, who told The Times that Dott’s case was indisputable.
“The position of the accused is that the allegations are fabricated and there is no truth in any of them” – Euan Dow
The charges against Dott are grave indeed. He has been released on bail, which allows him to remain at liberty until his trial gets underway next year. The case has garnered significant national media coverage. This is in part because of Dott’s standing in the sporting community and chiefly because of the gravity of the allegations.
With the trial coming up, the entire snooker world — and perhaps many outside of it — will have a keen interest in how these events are unfolding. Given all she accomplished over her career, these resulting accusations were really stunning to fans and other players in the sports world. Beyond his career, this trial will have a tremendous impact on Dott’s personal life as well. It would dramatically change the sport’s future — for the better.