Ex-EPL referee Coote pleads guilty to making indecent image of child

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child.

The 43-year-old Coote made the plea at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday after previously denying the charge. He appeared in court in connection with an allegation relating to a category A video, the most serious kind, which police said was recovered in February.

Coote, who was fired last year by the organization managing referees in England for derogatory remarks about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, was granted conditional bail by Judge Nirmal Shant and told he must appear in court again on Dec. 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 custody or not will be decided when all the information is before the court, which is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report,” she said.

Police said Coote was charged on Aug. 12 relating to a video file recovered by officers in February. According to police, the charge of making an indecent image relates to acts such as downloading, sharing and saving material.

Coote made headlines last year when a video emerged in which he used an expletive for Liverpool and a derogatory term for Klopp. Critics said the comments made him unfit to officiate Premier League matches and he was fired in December by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited.

In January, Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun and said a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to the rant about Klopp.

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