- Former Premier League referee David Coote pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child.
- The case involves a category A video, the most serious type found by police in February.
- He was granted conditional bail and will be sentenced on December 11.
- The judge warned that a custodial sentence is likely after reviewing all details.
Former Premier League referee David Coote, aged 43, has admitted in court to making an indecent image of a child, a crime involving the most severe category of illegal content. The case was heard at Nottingham Crown Court, where the judge described the offence as “a serious matter.”
The court heard that Coote had extracted a category A video, the most serious classification, from a hard drive onto a laptop on January 2, 2020. The video was later recovered by police in February 2025.
At the brief hearing, Coote appeared in a navy suit and black tie, speaking only to confirm his name and enter his plea. He was granted conditional bail and will return to court for sentencing on December 11.
“You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Whether this means custody or not will be decided when all the information is before the court,” said Judge Nirmal Shant KC, ordering a pre-sentence report.
The judge made it clear that the guilty plea does not guarantee leniency, noting that the gravity of the offence could lead to a prison sentence.
“You must not go away with the impression that this will not lead to a custodial sentence,” Judge Shant warned.
Coote officiated his first Premier League match in 2018 and had been a familiar face in English football before a series of scandals. He was sacked last year after old footage resurfaced showing him making inappropriate remarks about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
In August 2025, the Football Association (FA) handed him an eight-week suspension over the same incident. Earlier this year, Coote publicly came out as gay, revealing that years of hiding his sexuality had contributed to his mental struggles and the 2020 outburst.
The case marks a steep fall from grace for the former referee, whose career once placed him among the top officials in English football but now faces the possibility of imprisonment for a grave offence.
