Former Premier League referee David Coote has been given a suspended sentence after admitting to making an indecent moving image of a 15-year-old schoolboy. The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge, which involved a category A video, the most serious classification. Judge Shant described Coote's actions as a "spectacular fall from grace" as he imposed the sentence at Nottingham Crown Court.
The court heard that the 2-minute 11-second video, found on Coote's laptop, showed the boy undressing and performing sexual acts on himself. Coote was also made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, restricting his contact with children and where he can live, and was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Prosecutor Jeremy Janes detailed how Coote came under scrutiny after an unrelated video surfaced in which he made derogatory comments about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. That video went viral and led to tabloid investigations. Police visited Coote's home in February 2025 and seized his devices, discovering the abusive video had been extracted from a hard drive on 2 January 2020.
Coote was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December 2024 following the Klopp comments. His defence lawyer, Laura Jane Miller, told the court he had been dealing with personal and mental health difficulties at the time of the download, and was "deeply ashamed by his actions". Miller argued for a suspended sentence to allow for rehabilitation and to avoid a burden on the public purse.
Judge Shant told Coote: "Those who commit this sort of offence must understand that they involve real children being abused, with all the consequent damage that comes from it." Coote left court via a private exit, declining to comment on his sentence.
