Former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing children.
The 49-year-old subjected a girl and a boy, who were both of primary school age at the time, to multiple incidents of abuse.
He targeted the girl between 1993 and 1996 and the boy between 2006 and 2010.
Dott appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where judge Lord Harrower, right, told him he had “robbed the complainers of a significant part of their childhood”.
Imposing a backdated sentence of seven years, he said that Dott’s behaviour had involved a “gross violation of trust”.
Dott was earlier found guilty of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards children following a five-day trial at the same court in August.
During the trial, jurors heard that he exposed himself in front of both children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them.
Both of the victims gave evidence in court.
The woman, who is now in her 40s, and the man, who is now in his late 20s, both said that Dot abused them on multiple occasions.
In the cases of both victims, the abuse happened in the Glasgow area.
Dott had denied the charges but was found guilty.
Sentencing Dott, Lord Harrower said his actions bore “the hallmarks of grooming” and that both children were vulnerable.
Referring to the girl as Jane and the boy as Kevin, both pseudonyms, he said: “In both cases the abuse included penetrative sexual activity and in the case of Jane behaviour that would now be classed as rape.”
Lord Harrower said that while the offending against Jane happened while Dott was still a child aged around 16 or 17 himself, the offences against Kevin took place while Dott was an adult.
The court heard that Dott continues to maintain his innocence.
Lord Harrower remanded him in custody and his name was added to the sex offenders register.
Dott, who turned professional in 1994, won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, defeating Peter Ebdon in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield.
He reached the final in two other years but was beaten by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2004 and Neil Robertson in 2010.
Following his conviction, Dott’s name was removed from World Snooker’s Hall of Fame.
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call Childline free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331.