David Coote sentenced as shamed ex-Prem ref avoids prison | Football | Sport
Former Premier League referee David Coote has been sentenced to nine months of jail time suspended for two years at Nottingham Crown Court. Coote was also placed on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, along with 150 hours of unpaid work.
The 43-year-old had been charged in February 2025 with making an indecent image of a child, labelled as the most serious case as a category A video, which was recovered by police. Coote pleaded guilty to the charge in a hearing in October 2025 and was granted conditional bail before his appearance in December.
The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to either downloading, sharing or saving abuse photos or videos. The court heard back in October that Coote had extracted the video from a hard drive to a laptop on 2 January 2020.
Judge Nirmal Shant KC told the court: “David Coote you have had a spectacular fall from grace. You were filmed making comments about the then Liverpool manager and that led to this investigation.
“The image was of a young boy carrying our indecent acts. At the time you told the police they would find cocaine which they did and that was for your personal use and you were cautioned for that. Those who commit this sort of offence must realise they involve a real child and that causes them damage.”
On the sentence, the judge said: “The question I have to look at is whether or not this sentence that can be suspended. Is the offence so serious that only immediate custody is appropriate or is there a realistic prospect of rehabilitation?
“At the time of the offence, although you were riding high in your career you were a lonely man who suffered a relationship breakdown and you were taking cocaine. The pre-sentence concludes there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
“Nearly six years have elapsed since this offence and there is no evidence of any further offending. You are at a low risk of committing further offences.”
Coote was sacked by the PGMOL – England’s officiating governing body – in December 2024, after video footage surfaced with comments made towards former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. That was followed up by an eight-week suspension by the FA in August 2025 for the footage.
Coote began professional officiating in 2010 as part of the Football League’s list of referees. In 2018, he was promoted to the Premier League, where he officiated for six years.
The former official oversaw plenty of high-profile matches, including the Carabao Cup final in 2023, as Manchester United beat Newcastle at Wembley. His final Premier League officiating duties followed in November 2024, as he took charge of Liverpool’s win against Aston Villa at Anfield.
After his dismissal that year, the PGMOL released a statement surrounding his exit. It reads: “Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.
“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable.
“Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare. David Coote has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.”
The ex-official was also banned from officiating by UEFA until 30 June 2026, after a different video allegedly showed him snorting a white powder while in Germany as part of the Euro 2024 setup.
