"Prosecutors said the 2min 11s video found on his laptop showed the boy undress until he was completely naked, before performing sexual acts on himself. Passing sentence on Coote, Judge Shant told the sacked referee: Those who commit this sort of offence must understand that they involve real children being abused, with all the consequent damage that comes from it."
"Defence barrister Laura Jane Miller invited the judge to consider a suspended sentence and an order to perform unpaid work. She told the court: Looking at the prospect of rehabilitation and whether there needs to be an immediate custodial sentence, I would invite the court to impose a suspended sentence of imprisonment. It would save him being a burden on the public purse in the custodial setting."
David Coote, 43, a former Premier League referee, pleaded guilty to making an indecent moving image of a child of the most serious kind. A 2 minute 11 second video on his laptop showed a 15-year-old boy undressing until completely naked and performing sexual acts on himself. A nine-month prison sentence was imposed, suspended for two years. Coote was sacked and appeared visibly shaken, with trembling hands and arms. Defence argued for rehabilitation, unpaid work, and avoidance of immediate custody, noting the image dates to 2 January 2020 and that Coote expressed deep shame and personal difficulties.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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