Ex-Premier League Referee David Coote Pleads Guilty To Child Image Offence

Former Premier League referee David Coote has admitted making an indecent image of a child after appearing before Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

David Coote, 43, from Collingham in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to a charge linked to a category A video, the most serious level of such offences, discovered by police in February this year.

Coote, dressed in a navy suit and black tie, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his plea during a short hearing that lasted around six minutes.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC described the offence as serious and warned Coote that he could face jail.

“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,” the judge said. “You must not go away with the impression that this will not lead to a custodial sentence.”

The former referee was granted conditional bail ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for 11 December. The judge also requested a pre-sentence report before the next hearing.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child typically covers the downloading, saving, or sharing of abusive material. Coote had initially pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing in September before changing his plea on Tuesday.

Once a respected figure in English football, Coote’s career has been clouded by controversy in recent years. He was dismissed last year after a video surfaced showing him making crude remarks about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020.

The Football Association later handed him an eight-week suspension in August over the same video.

In January, Coote publicly came out as gay during an interview with The Sun, where he spoke about years of internal struggle with his sexuality. He said the emotional toll of hiding his identity had contributed to his behaviour in the 2020 incident.

Now, his guilty plea marks another low point for the former top-flight official, who once oversaw high-profile Premier League fixtures but has since seen his reputation collapse.

© 2025 Naija News, a division of Polance Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]