Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded not guilty to a charge of making an indecent image of a child.
The 43-year-old appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday in connection with allegations linked to a video recovered by police in February. Wearing a navy suit, Coote sat quietly at the back of the courtroom and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and to enter his plea during the 18-minute hearing.
The charge relates to offences such as downloading, saving or sharing indecent images of children.
District Judge Gillian Young granted Coote conditional bail and ordered him to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on October 9.
Coote was dismissed from his officiating role in December after a video surfaced showing him making derogatory comments about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020.
He was later banned by UEFA until June 2026 after a separate video appeared online showing him snorting a white powder through a banknote while in Germany for Euro 2024.
In January, Coote publicly came out as gay, admitting his struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to poor decisions in his personal life.
Ex-Premier League Referee David Coote Denies Child Image Charge
Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded not guilty to a charge of making an indecent image of a child.
The 43-year-old appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday in connection with allegations linked to a video recovered by police in February. Wearing a navy suit, Coote sat quietly at the back of the courtroom and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and to enter his plea during the 18-minute hearing.
The charge relates to offences such as downloading, saving or sharing indecent images of children.
District Judge Gillian Young granted Coote conditional bail and ordered him to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on October 9.
Coote was dismissed from his officiating role in December after a video surfaced showing him making derogatory comments about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020.
He was later banned by UEFA until June 2026 after a separate video appeared online showing him snorting a white powder through a banknote while in Germany for Euro 2024.
In January, Coote publicly came out as gay, admitting his struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to poor decisions in his personal life.
