Former Premier League referee David Coote appeared in Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to possessing a category A indecent image of a child, the most serious classification, and was granted conditional bail with a hearing scheduled for December 11.

The case remains part of ongoing legal proceedings, with more details expected to be released soon, and the court emphasizing the seriousness of the charges.

The charges stem from a video recovered by police in February 2025, which was transferred from a hard drive to a laptop on January 2, 2020, and involved activities such as downloading, sharing, or storing abusive material.

In January 2025, Coote publicly came out as gay, revealing that his struggles with his sexuality contributed to a rant about Klopp and his mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His guilty plea contrasts with his September denial of the allegations, and he expressed deep remorse, citing psychological difficulties during the pandemic as part of his explanation.

The charges are classified as Category A, the most severe level for such offences, highlighting the gravity of the misconduct involved.

This case adds to a series of controversies involving Coote, including a June 2025 charge by the Football Association for an aggravated breach of regulations related to his comments about Klopp.

The judge ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared before sentencing, with the outcome, including potential custody, to be decided based on this report, reflecting the seriousness of the case.

In addition to the criminal case, Coote was banned by UEFA until June 2026 following a separate incident where he was filmed snorting a white powder during the European Championship in Germany.

Coote was previously dismissed by PGMOL in December 2024 after a video surfaced showing comments about ex-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, which had led to an eight-week suspension by the Football Association in August.

Coote, aged 43 and from Collingham near Newark, initially denied the charges in September but changed his plea to guilty during the court hearing, which lasted six minutes.

Following the criminal case, Coote's employment with PGMOL was terminated due to serious breaches of his contract, and UEFA banned him until June 30, 2026, after incidents including misconduct during the European Championship in Germany.