Ex-referee David Coote admits child image offence
A former Premier League referee, David Coote, has pleaded guilty to charges related to possessing indecent images of a child.
The 43-year-old was apprehended in Nottingham Crown Court on suspicion of assault in connection with a Category A video, the most serious type, that was retrieved by police in February. Coote, of Woodhill Road, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, was granted conditional bail ahead of his next appearance on December 11th.
Judge Nirmal Shant KC ordered a pre-sentence report, stating: "You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Once all the facts are before the court, it will be determined whether this warrants a custodial sentence."
The court was told that on January 2, 2020, Coote converted the footage from a hard drive to a laptop. He had previously entered a not-guilty plea at a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on September 10th. Coote, dressed in a navy suit and black tie, only spoke to confirm his name and enter his guilty plea during the six-minute hearing on Tuesday.
The charge of making an indecent photograph of a child relates to downloading, posting, or saving images or videos containing abuse from the internet.
"You must not go away with the understanding that this will not lead to a custodial sentence," Judge Shant KC warned.
Coote was dismissed from his role last year after remarks he made in a 2020 video about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp surfaced. The Football Association suspended him in August of this year over the Klopp video. In January, Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun, and said that a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality contributed to his outburst about Klopp.
