Former Premier League referee David Coote, aged 43, has pleaded guilty to charges of making an indecent image of a child. This charge, classified as Category A, represents the most serious kind of offense. Coote appeared before Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, where he admitted to extracting a video from a hard drive to a laptop on January 2, 2020. This footage was subsequently recovered by police during an investigation in February 2025.

During the brief six-minute hearing, Coote, dressed in a navy suit and black tie, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his guilty plea. He had initially entered a not-guilty plea at a previous appearance before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on September 10, but later changed it at the Crown Court hearing. Judge Nirmal Shant KC presiding over the case ordered a pre-sentence report and granted Coote conditional bail ahead of his sentencing.

Judge Shant emphasized the gravity of the situation, 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. You must not go away with the impression that this will not lead to a custodial sentence.” The court also clarified that the charge of making an indecent image of a child encompasses activities such as downloading, sharing, or saving photos or videos containing child sexual abuse material.

Coote is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2025, after the pre-sentence report has been reviewed. This legal development marks a dramatic fall from grace for the former top-flight official, who once oversaw Premier League, FA Cup, and EFL matches before his dismissal.

His career has been marked by several controversies in recent years. Coote was dismissed in December 2024 by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after a video surfaced showing him making offensive and derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. This incident, which stemmed from remarks made in 2020, also led to an eight-week suspension from The Football Association in August 2025. Additionally, UEFA sanctioned him following separate misconduct matters.

In January, Coote publicly revealed his sexuality in an interview, stating that a lifelong struggle to conceal his identity as a gay man had contributed to his outburst concerning Klopp. These combined events have significantly impacted his professional standing and public image.