David Coote had arrived at Nottingham Crown Court shortly after 9am knowing the severity of his situation.

After pleading guilty to the charge of making an indecent image of a child in October, he entered the dock of courtroom three on Thursday morning carrying a black sports holdall. Prison, he knew, was a distinct possibility.

“You have had a spectacular fall from grace,” Judge Nirmal Shant KC reminded Coote at the beginning of her verdict. The only mercy for the former Premier League referee was that the fall would not go further.

The suspension of a nine-month sentence, coupled with an order for 150 hours of unpaid work, ensured Coote was spared jail, but, as accepted by defence solicitor Laura Jane Miller, his reputation is irrevocably tarnished. “His life is a far cry from where it was and he knows he will never get that career back,” she said.

The details of Coote’s case, heard for the first time today, underlined why.

A video lasting two minutes and 11 seconds had been found on a hard drive belonging to the 43-year-old at his home last February. It showed a 15-year-old boy, initially dressed in a school uniform, performing a series of sex acts on himself after stripping on a bathroom floor. “Those that commit this sort of offence must understand they involve a real child being abused,” said Judge Shant.

The indecent video had only been found after Coote’s career had started unravelling in November 2024. A viral clip on social media showed the official, then still working in the Premier League, calling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a “German c***” , a video that saw him suspended and then sacked by his employer, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), in December 2024.

David Coote was a high-profile referee before his disgrace (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Allegations of drug use and match fixing followed in the Sun newspaper, prompting the English Football Association to begin an investigation. Coote was cleared of any wrongdoing over the fixing allegations, which he had always denied, but the FA’s inquiries unearthed “conversations of concern” during a search of Coote’s electronic devices.

Police subsequently became involved and their search of Coote’s home in Nottinghamshire resulted in a Dell laptop, which a previous hearing had said belonged to PGMOL, and a Toshiba hard drive being seized. It was found that the video, classed as the most serious Category A offence, had been downloaded through the laptop in January 2020.

Coote had initially appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court last September and pleaded not guilty, but a month later, he changed it to guilty at a pre-trial hearing. The only question then became how strong the sentence would be.

The defence outlined that Coote had been under strain at the point he had accessed the indecent material six years ago, two days before officiating an FA Cup tie between Rochdale and Newcastle United. The court heard that Coote had suffered from mental health issues as a result of a relationship breaking down in 2017.

“At that time, the defendant had an outward personality of a very successful referee,” said Miller. “That did not, as it often does not, reflect him as a person because behind that, there was an internal struggle in terms of issues with his mental health. Those issues spiralled.”

Coote’s drug use, first reported by the Sun, was also detailed. It was revealed that he had begun taking cocaine in 2019 and had continued to use the Class A drug until police raided his home last February.

It was revealed for the first time that Coote had been cautioned for the possession of cocaine last year, telling officers that he was in possession of the substance for personal use. Coote’s defence said cocaine had become a “coping mechanism” in his life and that he was “ashamed of his actions”. PGMOL, in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, does not administer any drug testing programmes on its officials.

“He has lost his career, his reputation, and those have been lost in the midst of intensive media scrutiny,” said Miller.

That brought a disapproving interjection from Judge Shant during a sentencing hearing that lasted 30 minutes. “Some might say he had brought that on himself,” she said.

It was revealed in court that David Coote had a chaotic life away from the pitch (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

The picture painted of Coote’s private life was chaotic, but it was stressed that he had since sought help. Therapy sessions funded by PGMOL had been undertaken in the months before he was charged, and it was heard he now visited a psychiatrist weekly, using his own funds.

Coote has also been working in “an administrative role for the last few months”, and it was added that there was now an acknowledgement of his sexuality, “which there had not been previously”. Coote had come out as gay during media interviews that followed his sacking from PGMOL.

Those actions, argued the defence, illustrated an offender attempting to piece his life back together, one that would not benefit from a custodial sentence.

The indecent nature of the content — classed as the most serious level of imagery — carried a 12-month sentence, reduced by a quarter in light of Coote’s eventual guilty plea. That nine-month sentence stood, but it was suspended for two years by the judge, sparing Coote time in prison.

Coote must also undertake 150 hours of unpaid work, while also being subjected to a sexual harm prevention order until 2036. The order is designed to stop reoffending and prohibits Coote from contacting under-18s.

“If you breach this order in any way, you will be subject to being brought back to court and an immediate custodial sentence,” said Judge Shant, who ordered the destruction of Coote’s previously seized devices.

Ultimately, though, Coote was free to collect his belongings and leave the courtroom.

“He is trying to rebuild his life step by step and claw back some of his reputation,” Coote’s defence barrister had earlier said. That, to most, will be impossible.