Former Premier League referee David Coote has been handed a suspended prison sentence after a court found he possessed a sexual video of a 15-year-old boy.
Court Sentence and Details
At Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, the 43-year-old was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered Coote to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.
The disturbing video, which lasted for two minutes and 11 seconds, depicted the schoolboy in uniform. It was classified as a Category A indecent image, the most severe category, which typically involves penetrative sexual activity involving children.
Discovery and Guilty Plea
The material was discovered on Coote's laptop during a separate investigation into abusive comments he made about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020. Coote was first charged on August 12 with making the indecent image on January 2, 2020.
He initially denied the charge at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on September 11 but changed his plea to guilty the following month at the crown court. The charge of 'making an indecent image' covers actions such as downloading, saving, or sharing abusive content.
Career Fallout and Previous Controversies
Coote's refereeing career has unravelled following a series of scandals. He was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December last year after a video emerged of him making abusive remarks about Klopp. For those comments, he had received an eight-week suspension from the Football Association in August.
His conduct was further marred by another video from Euro 2024 in Germany, which showed him snorting a white powder through a banknote. UEFA banned him as a result until June 30, 2026.
In January, Coote publicly came out as gay and stated he used cocaine to cope with the 'stresses and relentlessness of the job'. He linked his struggles with hiding his sexuality to a pattern of damaging behaviour.
The sentencing hearing was initially set for December 11 but was adjourned to the New Year to allow his barrister to appear in person.
