Premier League referee David Coote admits child image offence

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 relating to a category A video, the most serious kind, recovered by police in February.

He was charged in August following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

Coote, from Woodhill Road, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, was granted conditional bail and is due to appear in court again on 11 December.

He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing on 10 September at Nottingham Magistrates' Court.

Coote, who wore a navy suit and black tie, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his plea during the six-minute hearing in front of Judge Nirmal Shant KC.

He was sacked last year when comments made in a video about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020 came to light.

The judge told Coote she was ordering a pre-sentence report to be carried out before sentencing.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC told the court: "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."

In August this year, Coote was given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over the Klopp footage.

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