NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) – Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
Coote, 43, entered the plea at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday after an earlier sentence. deny the charges. He appeared in court in connection with allegations relating to the most serious type of Category A video, which police said they had recovered in February.
Coote, who was sacked by England’s governing body of referees last year for making derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, was granted conditional bail by Judge Nirmal Shanto and told to reappear in court on December 11.
The judge said she was ordering a pre-sentence report to be carried out before sentencing.
“You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Whether this means imprisonment will be determined when all the information is presented to the court. That is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report,” she said.
Coote was charged on Aug. 12 in connection with video files recovered by officers in February, police said. Police said the charge of making indecent images relates to acts such as downloading, sharing and storing material.
Coote made headlines last year after a video was released in which he insulted Liverpool and used derogatory language towards Klopp. Critics said the comments made him unfit to officiate Premier League matches and he was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December.
Couto came out as gay in an interview with The Sun in January, saying his lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to his abuse of Klopp.
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