Stephen Lee: "I've done nothing wrong"

Snooker player Stephen Lee has claimed that he is "absolutely innocent" after receiving a 12-year ban for match-fixing.

The former world number five was handed the punishment on Wednesday by an independent tribunal in Bristol.

It is alleged that the 38-year-old fixed seven matches between 2008 and 2009, including one at the World Championship.

"I'm absolutely devastated," Sky Sports News quotes Lee as saying. "I've done nothing wrong. I'm absolutely innocent in this."

Lee, who will appeal his suspension, is expected to release an official statement later today.