Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott sentenced to seven years in prison

Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually abusing two minors.

The incidents occurred between 1993 and 2010, the British news agency PA reported. Accordingly, both victims were said to have been of elementary school age at the time of the crime. Dott had denied the allegations, but was found guilty in a jury trial in Scotland almost a month ago.

One of the victims, a woman now over 40 years old, is said to have contacted the police in 2001. It was not initially clear why it took so long to reach a conviction. A second, male victim is said to have filed a complaint later. Dott, now 49 years old, became snooker world champion in 2006.

He had "deprived both victims of a significant part of their childhood," said the presiding judge when announcing the sentence, as PA reported.