Former Premier League official David Coote has been handed a suspended prison sentence after a court heard a serious sexual video of a schoolboy was discovered on his personal computer.
The Sentence and Court Proceedings
The 43-year-old ex-referee was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, 8 January 2026. He received a nine-month prison term, suspended for two years. In addition to the suspended sentence, Coote was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work within the community.
Judge Nirmal Shant KC presided over the hearing, telling Coote he had experienced a "spectacular fall from grace." She outlined that the standard starting point for an offence of this nature is one year in custody, with a sentencing range between 26 weeks and three years.
Discovery of the Offence
The court was informed that the illicit material found was classified as category A, the most severe classification for indecent imagery. The video depicted a 15-year-old boy wearing a school uniform.
Prosecutors revealed that the clip on Coote's laptop came to light during a separate police investigation. This probe was launched into comments the former match official had made about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in December 2024. While the allegations were unrelated, this inquiry led officers to Coote's home in February of last year.
"You came to the attention of police following an investigation into your conduct while being employed as a professional referee," Judge Shant told Coote. During the search, police seized a laptop and an external hard drive. Coote also voluntarily informed officers they would find cocaine for personal use, for which he received a caution.
Guilty Plea and Judicial Warning
David Coote was initially charged with making an indecent image of a child in February 2025. He entered a guilty plea to the offence in October of the same year. The charge relates to activities such as downloading, saving, or sharing abusive photos or videos.
Addressing the gravity of the crime, Judge Shant emphasised that such offences involve "a real child being abused with all the damage that flows from it." She issued a stern warning to the former referee regarding his future conduct.
"If you breach this order in any way, if there are any further offences - particularly sexual offences - you will be subject to being brought back to court," the judge stated before passing sentence.
The case marks a dramatic downfall for the former top-flight official, whose career was once spent enforcing the rules on the pitch, only to find himself facing the full force of the law in a crown court.
