Overview
- Nottingham Crown Court imposed a nine-month prison term suspended for two years, with Judge Nirmal Shant telling Coote he had suffered a "spectacular fall from grace."
- Coote must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, is on the sex offenders register for 10 years, and is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order restricting contact with children.
- Prosecutors said forensic analysis identified a two minute, 11 second Category A video of a 15-year-old boy in school uniform that was viewed on Coote’s laptop on January 2, 2020.
- The former referee initially pleaded not guilty in September 2025 before admitting the charge in October; he was also cautioned for cocaine possession found during the February 2025 search.
- Coote was dismissed by PGMOL in December 2024 over a viral video about Jürgen Klopp and separately banned by UEFA from officiating until June 30, 2026, with the child-image offence relating to downloading or saving material.