Former Premier League referee David Coote convicted of child abuse image

David Coote, the former Premier League referee, has been convicted of making a Category A indecent image of a child, the most serious category recognised by the courts.

Police visited his home on 13 February 2025 and recovered a laptop and a hard drive. On the hard drive was a Category A moving image of a child. He pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 150 hours of unpaid work. He was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years. The judge certified that he had been convicted of a sexual offence.

The case has nothing to do with the earlier footage of him making comments about a Premier League manager, which had already cost him his refereeing career.

We put it to him on camera. You can watch that above, and the sentencing remarks are public on the judiciary's website.