During his evidence, Dott’s male victim said the abuse began shortly after Dott defeated Peter Ebdon to win his sole world title at The Crucible in Sheffield in 2006.

The boy, now a man in his 20s, said he was about eight years old when Dott molested him in a shower at a home in South Lanarkshire.

He told the court that Dott “rewarded” him with crisps and fizzy drinks and once handed him a £50 note, only to accuse the boy of stealing it when his parents found out he had the money.

He also said he was abused in a car on a number of occasions and “inappropriately touched” while Dott played online poker.

Dott was convicted of lewd and libidinous practices, which refer to any sexual crimes against children committed prior to 1 December 2010.

The offence was abolished in 2009, but is still used for crimes carried out before then.

Following his conviction in August, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said it had permanently revoked Dott’s membership with immediate effect.

Dott was previously suspended from all professional snooker activities on 9 April 2025 pending the outcome of his trial.

He was subsequently relegated from the professional ranking list at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.

Dott has two previous convictions for minor road traffic offences in 2013 and 2015.

The head of the Turkish referees’ body has been arrested as part of a police investigation into corruption.

Turkish justice minister Akin Gurlek said the investigation focused on “claims regarding interference in the formation of referee classifications, assignments, scoring and appointment processes, as well as rule examinations”.

Ferhat Gundogdu, the president of the refereeing body, his vice-president and another five people are those arrested.

Gurlek said police also searched homes, workplaces and offices.

“We will resolutely continue our fight for clean football so that allegations damaging trust in Turkish football are brought to light, those responsible are held accountable before the law, and football is associated with the effort, competition and sportsmanship on the pitch,” Gurlek said.

In November 2025 the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found hundreds of professional match officials in the country had betting accounts.

Some 29 people were arrested in the sprawling scandal, including 14 footballers.

However, Gurlek did not make any link between last year’s betting scandal and the current investigation.