Former Premier League referee Peter Coote has pleaded guilty to creating an indecent image of a child, following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

Coote, 43, was charged in August, just months after being dismissed as a referee for making inappropriate comments about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.

He appeared in court on Tuesday morning in connection with a category A video — the most serious classification of such offences.

Although Coote initially pleaded not guilty at a hearing in September, he changed his plea to guilty during Tuesday’s proceedings.

Judge Nirmal Shant KC told the court:

“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-sentencing report.”

Coote was granted conditional bail and is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on December 11.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child can include activities such as downloading, sharing, or saving illegal material.