Will David Coote go to jail? Terms of his suspended sentence explained

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been given a nine-month suspended prison sentence after a category A indecent video of a child was found on his laptop.

The 43-year-old, who is from Collingham in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to creating the indecent image – involving a 15-year-old boy in a school uniform – at Nottingham Crown Court in October. 

He appeared for sentencing on Thursday, January 8. 

In this case, the video was downloaded and watched on his gadget in January 2020. 

However, it came to light in February 2025, after the police seized all his devices during an investigation triggered by media attention he received for certain acts.

Coote, Judge Nirmal Shant KC, stated that he had experienced a "spectacular fall from grace" and that the crime affects a "real child, which causes them harm."

Coote’s defence was that he was experiencing problems in his own life at the time he committed the offence. Coote was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Coote, who has refereed in the English Premier League since 2018, was dismissed by refereeing authorities late in 2024 following another incident involving his comments about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.

Despite receiving a prison sentence, he will not be immediately sent to jail.