Former Premier League referee David Coote has been handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting to making a Category A indecent image of a child.
Court Hearing Reveals Disturbing Details
The 43-year-old official was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, 8 January 2026. The court heard that the Category A image – the most serious classification – depicted a 15-year-old boy in school uniform and lasted for two minutes and 11 seconds.
Nottinghamshire Police charged Coote on 12 August following an investigation. The illicit file was discovered during a forensic examination of his electronic devices. When initially interviewed by police, Coote offered a "no comment" response.
A Pattern of Controversy and Dismissal
Coote's legal troubles are part of a wider fall from grace. He was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December 2024. This dismissal followed a viral, unverified video from 2020 in which he made derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
During an FA investigation into that video, Coote initially claimed it was filmed in his living room with a friend, before performing a U-turn, apologising to Klopp personally and stating the words did not reflect his true feelings. The PGMOL stated his breach of contract was so serious his position had become "untenable".
Earlier in 2024, UEFA suspended him until 30 June 2026 over a separate video allegedly showing him using a white powder through a banknote while officiating at Euro 2024.
Personal Struggles Cited in Mitigation
In a personal statement in January, Coote came out as gay and linked his struggles with hiding his sexuality to his subsequent behaviour. "I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well - a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that's led me to a whole course of behaviours," he said.
However, the court was also told that his "sexual attraction" to children was discovered during the FA's investigation into the Klopp video, which prompted the wider police probe.
Coote had initially pleaded not guilty at Nottingham Magistrates' Court in September before later changing his plea to guilty for the more serious charge.
