Ex-Premier League referee David Coote pleads not guilty to making indecent images of a child

The ex-official, of Woodhill Road in Collingham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, was charged on August 12 over allegations relating to a video recovered by officers in February.

Appearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday in a navy suit, the 43-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and enter his plea during the 18-minute long hearing.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving abuse photos or videos.

District Judge Gillian Young granted the former referee conditional bail and told him to appear at Nottingham Crown Court for a further hearing on October 9.

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Coote was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December, after a video of comments he had made about ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in 2020 came to light.

In August this year he was given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over the Klopp footage.

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.