Stephen Lee - the verdict

Snooker player Stephen Lee, 38, of Trowbridge, Wiltshire has been banned for 12 years after being found guilty of seven match-fixing charges and has also been told to pay £40,000 costs.

 The former world number five cannot play in any game sanctioned by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). He denied the allegations, which included a match at the World Snooker Championship in 2009, and intends to appeal.

Snooker's governing body says it is " the worst case of corruption" it has ever seen, and the longest ban imposed on a player by the organisation.  "The WPBSA has a zero tolerance approach to match fixing and this is further evidence of our uncompromising approach to dealing with such issues," said a spokesman.
The ban is calculated from 12 October 2012, when an interim suspension was imposed, and means Lee will not be able to compete as a professional snooker player before 12 October 2024, the date of his 50th birthday.