Graeme Dott has been suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, it was announced on Wednesday.
In a short statement released on the WPBSA website, the governing body said that it had suspended Dott “due to a case which is scheduled to be heard before the High Court in Scotland.”
“Whilst court proceedings are ongoing, it would be inappropriate for the WPBSA to make any further comment,” the statement concluded.
It is being reported by the Scottish Sun that he is facing two historical charges pertaining to the sexual abuse of children.
Graeme Dott is a former world number two who reached three World Championship finals between 2004 and 2010.
The Scot’s finest career moment came in the second of those final appearances at the Crucible Theatre when he beat Peter Ebdon to capture the 2006 world title.
Dott also won the 2007 China Open, a victory that represents his last in a ranking event on the World Snooker Tour.
The 47 year-old first turned professional in 1994 and has been a mainstay on the professional circuit during the last three decades.
Nicknamed the Pocket Dynamo, Dott appeared in eight other ranking event finals but could never add more silverware to his tally.
Most recently, he reached the title-deciding contest of the 2020 World Grand Prix where he was denied on that occasion by Neil Robertson.
This season hasn’t been a strong one for Dott, and he is languishing down at number 59 on the provisional end-of-season rankings.
It had been expected that Dott would participate at the 2025 World Snooker Championship qualifiers, which began on Monday at the English Institute of Sport.
He was drawn to face either Wang Yuchen or Brian Cini in the second round of qualifying, hoping to secure a return to the Crucible for the first time since 2019.
Either Wang or Cini, who face each other on Wednesday, will likely receive a bye through to the third round instead.
Dott, however, has the right to appeal.
Featured photo credit: WST
