Former Premier League referee David Coote has admitted to creating an indecent image of a child, following his appearance before the Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.
According to Sky Sports, the charge concerns a Category A video the most serious classification under UK law discovered by police earlier this year.
The 43-year-old, from Collingham, entered a guilty plea during a brief hearing before Judge Nirmal Shant KC, who ordered a pre-sentence report ahead of his sentencing scheduled for December 11.
Judge Shant, addressing Coote as he stood in the dock, said:
“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.”
The offence relates to material recovered by authorities in February 2025. Coote was granted conditional bail pending his next court appearance.
Once a familiar face in top-flight English football, Coote’s career took a downturn after he was dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December 2024 when a video resurfaced showing him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
In August 2025, the Football Association further handed him an eight-week suspension over the same incident.
Coote’s sentencing in December will determine whether he faces a custodial term for the child image offence.
