Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child.
The 43-year-old appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday in connection with an allegation involving a category A video, the most serious classification of indecent material. The footage was recovered by police in February.
Coote, dressed in a navy suit and black tie, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his plea during a brief six-minute hearing before Judge Nirmal Shant KC.
The former match official, from Collingham, was granted conditional bail and ordered to return to court for sentencing on December 11.
Judge Shant, while ordering a pre-sentence report, told Coote: “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, which is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report.”
Coote’s fall from grace began late last year when he was dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after a video emerged showing him making remarks about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020.
In August 2024, the Football Association handed him an eight-week suspension over the same incident.
