Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to the grave charge of making an indecent image of a child. Appearing on Tuesday, the 43-year-old confirmed his name and entered his plea during a brief six-minute hearing before Judge Nirmal Shant KC.

The charge stems from an allegation relating to a category A video, the most serious kind, which was recovered by police in February. Further details revealed that Coote pleaded guilty to making an indecent video of a 15-year-old boy in January 2020. His "sexual attraction" to children reportedly came to light when the Football Association initiated an investigation into Coote. This independent probe led to the examination of two mobile phones, which uncovered "conversations of concern," and the disturbing video was subsequently discovered on a Dell laptop, last accessed on January 2, 2020. The offence of making a category A indecent image carries a maximum sentence of three years.

Judge Shant granted Coote, who resides in Woodhill Road, Collingham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, conditional bail. She emphasized the seriousness of the matter, stating, "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." Coote is scheduled to reappear in court for sentencing on December 11.

This admission of guilt follows a series of controversies for the former official. Coote was previously sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December of last year, after a video surfaced showing derogatory comments he had made about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020. In the leaked footage, Coote referred to Klopp as a "German c***" and Liverpool as "s***," expressing his lack of interest in speaking to someone he deemed "f***ing arrogant." The Football Association subsequently handed him an eight-week suspension in August of this year for these remarks.

In January, Coote publicly came out as gay in an interview with The Sun, attributing a lifelong struggle to conceal his sexuality as a contributing factor to his rant about Klopp. However, the PGMOL investigation also extended to a second video, which reportedly showed Coote snorting a white powder. This footage, which emerged in November 2024, was allegedly taken during Euro 2024, where he served as an assistant VAR for the tournament. European football's governing body, UEFA, responded by banning Coote until June 30, 2026.

After his sacking from professional refereeing, Coote was reportedly seen delivering packages for Evri earlier this summer. He officiated his first Premier League match in April 2018, going on to helm more than 100 top-flight fixtures and was included on the roster of officials for Euro 2024.