Former snooker champion Graeme Dott on trial accused of child sex abuse

The trial of former world snooker champion Graeme Dott on allegations of historic child sex abuse has begun.

The 49-year-old is accused of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards two primary school-age children.

The allegations span between 1993 and 1996 involving a girl, and 2006 to 2010 involving a boy, both in the Glasgow region.

Dott has denied the two charges against him.

His trial at the High Court in Glasgow got under way on Tuesday, with the jury hearing evidence from one of Dott’s alleged victims, who gave evidence from behind a screen.

The woman, who is now in her 40s, told the court Dott had sexually abused her on multiple separate occasions while she was a child.

She said the first had happened when he had offered to give her a piggy back, which she said had involved her climbing on his back and wrapping her arms and legs around the front of his body.

After walking a short distance, she said they stopped for a “couple of minutes”.

She told the court: “He started to caress my backside with his hands,” explaining he had his hands over her clothing.

She added: “I remember it was odd to me. I think he said ‘does that feel nice’, or something to that (effect).”

The woman alleged that on another occasion Dott approached her and said to her: “We could play a game.”

After agreeing, the woman said he told her “it would be a guessing game, and I had to guess what he was doing”.

She said she lay down and he pulled her trousers down and lifted her top, and kissed her on the belly.

Responding to questions from prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel, she told the court he exposed himself to her and then began touching her with different parts of his body, including his penis.

She explained: “He would touch me with his hand, and said that’s my hand. Now you know what that feels like.

“Then he kissed me and I knew what that felt like.”

She said the game was that she had to guess what he was doing.

She said Dott had played the game with her “more than once”.

Dott was present in court and dressed in a dark suit.

The trial, before judge Lord Harrower, continues and is expected to last up to five days.