Ex-referee sentenced over child image offence

Since a child violence video was discovered on his laptop, former Premier League referee David Coote was given a suspended prison term. The video, which featured a 15-year-old boy wearing a school uniform, was discovered on a machine that was recovered by police in February last year. At Nottingham Crown Court in October, Coote, a Woodhill, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, was charged with making an indecent photograph of a child in connection with the most serious type of category A videos. On Thursday, the 43-year-old returned to the same court and was sentenced to nine months in jail, with a two-year suspension. He was also issued a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that Coote's laptop had been linked to the hard drive and had made the changes described on the screen, a category A moving picture that lasted two minutes and 11 seconds on January 2, 2020.

Those who commit this sort of offence must understand they involve a real child, and that causes them injury,

Judge Nirmal Shant KC told Coote.

The accusation of making an indecent photo of a child refers to internet, publishing, or saving pictures or videos that contain abuse. The video caught Coote being investigated by the FA, and a number of devices were confiscated and analysed when he was arrested at his house, according to Nottingham Magistrates' Court in September. He confessed to the offence the next month after initially pleaded not guilty. Laura Miller, the Defending Coote, said his conduct on January 2nd, 2020 did not portray him as a person, and that he was going through a internal battle following the breakdown of a relationship. She said he had been under intense media scrutiny, to which she replied, Some might say he brought it on himself.Ms Miller told the court that six years had passed since the offence, and Coote, who now works in an administrative role, was trying to "rebuild his life step by step.

'Spectacular fall from grace'

His life is a far cry from where it was at the beginning of his career,

she said, and he hopes he will never get that back. After police visited his house, coote was also warned for cocaine use, the court heard. Judge Shant told Coote he had had a spectacular fall from grace before he was sentenced to prison. Comments made in a video about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020 revealed Coote in 2024. He was banned by the Football Association for eight weeks after the Klopp video in August last year. In addition,, the ex-officials were also barred by European football's governing body Uefauntil 30 June this year after pictures of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024. In an interview with The Sun in January 2025, Coote came out as gay, and said that a lifelong effort to conceal his sexuality contributed to Klopp's rant. Coote was told to complete 150 hours of unpaid service in addition to the suspended prison term and sexual harm prevention order.

If you break this order in any way, if any further charges are filed,

Judge Shant said, you will face being brought back to court. PA Media has additional reporting Follow BBC Nottingham onFacebook, onX, or onInstagram. [Contact redacted] viaWhatsAppon [phone redacted].