Former English Premier League referee David Coote could be heading to prison after admitting to creating an indecent image of a child, a crime the court has described as extremely serious.
During a brief hearing at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Nirmal Shant KC made it clear that Coote’s public profile would not spare him from punishment. “You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter,” she told the 43-year-old. “Whether or not this results in custody will be decided once the court has all the necessary information.”
According to prosecutors, the offence involved Coote transferring a Category A child abuse video — the highest and most severe level of such content — from a hard drive onto a laptop on January 2, 2020. The former referee initially denied the charge in September but later changed his plea to guilty during a short six-minute court session, where he spoke only to confirm his name and admit the offence.
The BBC reports that Coote has been granted conditional bail ahead of his sentencing, which is scheduled for December 11. Judge Shant has requested a pre-sentence report but warned Coote that he should not assume leniency. “You must not leave here with the impression that this will not lead to a custodial sentence,” she cautioned.
The court’s strong stance reflects the gravity of the offence and sends a clear message that social status or past achievements will not influence the outcome.
Coote’s reputation had already been under scrutiny before this case. Last year, he was dismissed from his role after a video resurfaced showing him making inappropriate comments about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. The Football Association later handed him an eight-week suspension in August over the same incident.
In January, Coote publicly came out as gay in an interview with The Sun, revealing that years of hiding his sexuality had taken a toll on his mental health — a struggle he partly blamed for his outburst about Klopp.
Now, with his conviction confirmed, Coote’s once-promising refereeing career lies in ruins as he awaits a likely prison sentence that could mark the final chapter in his dramatic fall from grace.