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Ex–Premier League Referee David Coote Given Suspended Nine-Month Sentence Over Child Sexual Abuse Material

The case centered on a 2:11-minute video of a 15-year-old found on his laptop during a 2025 police search.

Overview

  • Nottingham Crown Court imposed a nine-month prison term suspended for two years, plus 150 hours of community service.
  • Coote must avoid contact with minors for ten years under the court’s order.
  • Prosecutors said the video was discovered on devices seized in February 2025 during the investigation.
  • He initially denied wrongdoing before admitting the offense and entering a guilty plea in September 2025.
  • Judge Nirmal Shant cited his “spectacular fall” and referenced cocaine use and mental health struggles, following prior suspensions that had already ended his elite refereeing career.