Ex-referee David Coote sentenced over child image offence

Former Premier League referee David Coote was given a suspended prison sentence after a child abuse video was found on his laptop.

The video, of a 15-year-old boy wearing a school uniform, was found on a device seized by police in February last year.

Coote, of Woodhill, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court in October to a charge of creating an indecent image of a child in relation to the category A video, the most serious type.

The 43-year-old man appeared in the same court again on Thursday and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that analysis of Coote’s devices showed that his Dell laptop connected to the hard drive and produced a category A moving image – meaning it was downloaded and displayed on screen – lasting two minutes and 11 seconds on January 2, 2020.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC told Coote: “Those who commit such crimes must understand that what they are dealing with is a real child and that this is causing them harm.”

The charge of creating an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or recording abusive photos or videos.

The video came to the attention of police while Coote was being investigated by the FA, and a number of devices were seized and analyzed while Coote was arrested at his home, Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard in September.

After initially pleading not guilty, he pleaded guilty the following month.

Laura Miller, defending Coote, said his actions on January 2, 2020 did not reflect him as a person, adding that he was experiencing an “internal struggle” following the breakdown of a relationship.

He added that he had faced media scrutiny for a time, to which the judge responded: “Some might say he did it.”

Miss Miller told the court it had been six years since the crime and Coote, who now works in an administrative job, was trying to “rebuild his life step by step”.

He said: “His life is so far from where he was at the peak of his career, he knows he can never get that back.”

The court heard Coote was also cautioned for cocaine possession after police visited his home.

Addressing him before sentencing, Judge Shant told Coote he had “had a spectacular fall”.

Coote was sacked in 2024 after comments made in a video about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp emerged in 2020.

In August last year, Klopp was sentenced to an eight-week suspension by the Football Association due to his images.

Also former official Also banned by European football’s governing body UEFA Until June 30 this year, when photos emerged of him sucking white powder out of a banknote while he was in Germany for Euro 2024.

Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun in January 2025, saying his lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality contributed to the rumor about Klopp.

In addition to the suspended prison sentence and sexual harm prevention order, Coote was given 150 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Shant said: “If you breach this order in any way you will be brought back to court if there are other offences, particularly sexual offences.”

Additional reporting by PA Media