AN 18-year-old referee targeted by David Coote for sex and drug sessions said the paedophile should have been jailed.
The lad hit out after ex-Premier League official Coote, 43, got a suspended prison term for downloading a lewd video of a boy, 15.
The Sun’s Keep Our Kids Safe campaign, launched after the Huw Edwards case, calls for anyone caught with the most serious images to get a custodial term.
Urging prison for Coote, the young ref said: “My experience was horrifying.
“He first made contact when I was just 18 in 2024.
“I’d posted about visiting the Creamfields festival.
“My profile told everyone my age, and that I was an aspiring referee.
“It was incredible to me that Coote got in touch.
“He was my role model. But my excitement didn’t last long.
“He tried to use his influence to lure me.
“He offered to pay for my university accommodation in return for sexual favours.”
The teen ref added: “All my thoughts are with the victim.
“As for Coote, he deserved substantial jail time.
“What he’s done is disgusting. He acted like God with no fear of retribution.”
