Teen referee believes disgraced David Coote may have 'tried to groom him' - after former Premier League official pleaded guilty to making 'category A' indecent image of a child

A teenage referee says disgraced former Premier League official David Coote tried to 'groom' him and feared he wanted to 'abuse' him.

It comes after Coote pleaded guilty this week of making a 'category A' indecent image of a child, for which he could face 10 years behind bars.

Coote was sacked by the referees' body PGMOL in December.

Now a teenage ref says Coote messaged him out of the blue offering to be a mentor, calling him a 'good looking lad' and offering to pay his university accommodation fees.

He told The Sun that he felt that he may have been trying to groom him. 'I had a lucky escape. He contacted me out of the blue because in my online bio I revealed I was an 18-year-old ref.

'It was amazing to have him get in touch. I was a bit starstruck because as a Premier League referee I admired and looked up to him, wanting to emulate his success.

A teenage referee says disgraced ex-Premier League official David Coote tried to 'groom' him

Coote, left, admitted making a category A image, the most serious kind, which was recovered by police in February

'I thought it was my good fortune, even though it was all a bit odd. But I'm now sickened to the core following his guilty plea.

'My thoughts are with the victim. No one should go through that.

'I am also worried that he wanted to abuse me. It makes me think I could have been in the same position as the victim.'

In his messages, Coote is also alleged by the anonymous referee to have said he 'loves' cocaine, discussed attending the 2025 Creamfields music festival, and claimed to like a 'messy' weekend - but not so much when he had Premier League commitments.

Coote is yet to comment on the referee's claims.

The 43-year-old from Newark admitted at Nottingham Crown Court this week that he had made one indecent image of a child of 'category A' on January 2, 2020. Category A is the most serious of the categories and the charge relates to acts such as downloading, sharing and saving material. The maximum sentence is 10 years in custody.

Coote accessed the video via a Dell laptop. He will be now be liable to the notification requirements of the Sex Offender’s Register. How long he will be on the Register for will depend on his sentence.

A sentencing hearing has been set for December 11.

Coote, 43, was sacked by the Premier League last year after a leaked video posted online showed the official calling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a 'German ****'

Following his plea Judge Nirmal Shant KC warned Coote that he may face custody: 'As far as you are concerned you have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Whether custody or not will be decided when all the information is before the court.

'You mustn’t go away with impression that this automatically means a non-custodial sentence - it doesn’t.'

Coote was released on conditional bail. He is not permitted to have contact with a child under the age of 18 or to reside at an address where persons under 18 reside.

He has also been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which restricts his activities.

In certain cases, those subject to such orders are not permitted to clear their browsing histories and their online activity can be restricted.

At a hearing last month, Ben Payne, prosecuting, said that the matter had come to the police's attention following the FA's investigation into Coote and that mobile phones had been examined by a third party.

'Two conversations that were of concern appeared to indicate Mr Coote had a sexual interest in children,' Mr Payne added.

Following a police investigation Payne said that Coote was arrested at his home address and a PGMOL-registered Dell laptop was subsequently seized.

The former referee was charged by the FA over the comments he made about Klopp

A Category A video, featuring moving image of a child aged 15 was found and was accessed on the date referenced in the charge.

The laptop was seized on August 12, more than eight months after Coote had been sacked by PGMOL.

Coote, a top-flight and international mainstay, was sacked in December after a video emerged of him making disparaging remarks about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

In June, Coote was charged by the Football Association over the comments he made about Klopp, having labelled the former Liverpool boss a 'German ****' in the video.

Referencing Klopp's German nationality constituted an 'aggravated breach' of the rules, according to the FA.

Earlier this summer PGMOL chief Howard Webb ruled out a return to officiating for Coote.

'I think it'd be really difficult for David to come back, I'm afraid to say,' Webb said.

'He is somebody that we stay in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game as well for a long period of time and I've known him personally for many years.

The maximum sentence for making a 'category A' indecent image of a child is 10 years in jail

'So it's sad what happened with David, but I would think it would be challenging thing for him to come back.'

Coote expressed remorse for his actions and spoke about being in a dark place at the time the videos were taken. He also said that he had hidden the fact he was gay during his career for fear of subsequent abuse.

'My sexuality isn't the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I'm not telling an authentic story if I don't say that I'm gay and that I've had real struggles with hiding that,' he said.

'I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well - a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that's led me to a whole course of behaviours.'

In June, Coote - who first officiated in the Premier League in April 2018 - was spotted delivering packages for courier firm Evri.

In footage obtained by The Sun of a couple's ring doorbell at their house, the former Premier League referee was seen dropping off a parcel for the company.