Nottingham Crown Court has set a new date for the sentencing of former Premier League referee David Coote, who admitted to making an indecent image of a child earlier this year. The 43-year-old did not appear in person on Thursday, December 11, when he was expected to learn his fate.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC, Honorary Recorder of Nottingham, adjourned the case until January 8 to allow his barrister to attend in person rather than via video link.

Coote, of Woodhill Road, was first charged on August 12 with creating an indecent Category A image on January 2, 2020.

Initially, he denied the charge during a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on September 11 but, following an appearance at Nottingham Crown Court onOctober 14, Coote changed his plea to guilty.

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Nottinghamshire Police previously confirmed that its investigation concerned a video file recovered by officers in February 2025.

Ahead of his sentencing, Coote will remain on bail under strict conditions.

He must be supervised whenever he is in contact with anyone under 18 and is prohibited from residing at any address where a person under 18 lives.

The former referee was dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December 2024 after making comments in a video about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

In a separate incident, Coote was banned by UEFA after a video emerged of him appearing to sniff white powder while on duty at Euro 2024.

Coote was first appointed as a Premier League referee in 2018.

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