The former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded not guilty to making an indecent image of a child.
Coote appeared in Nottingham magistrates court on Thursday, having been charged on 12 August in relation to a video recovered by police officers in February. The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving abuse photos or videos.
The 43-year-old attended court in a navy suit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and to enter his plea. He has been charged with a category A offence, the most serious of the categories.
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The games Coote has refereed include 112 in the Premier League, 143 in the Championship and 30 in the FA Cup, as well as four international friendlies.
Coote was sacked by the English refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) last December after a video surfaced in which he made comments about the then Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp.
Coote came out as gay in January of this year, saying he had hidden his sexuality owing to fears of the abuse he would receive if it were public knowledge.
After his plea Coote was granted conditional bail by district judge Gillian Young. He is due to appear at Nottingham crown court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 9 October.