Former Premier League Assistant referee jailed for rape and sexual assault

Steven Wilson, a former Premier League assistant referee was sentenced to prison for raping a man. Steven Wilson, 55, convinces the stranger from a taxi rank to his apartment by promising to take him to a party with "a lot of girls." He locked him in and made him perform a sex act.

Steven Wilson eluded justice until 2021 after the victim recognized him from a report about his previous sex crimes and informed police. Wilson, of Rowley Regis, West Mids, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault at Worcester crown court and sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2005, he was elevated to the Premier referee roster from his previous name, Stephen Dorr. It was discovered in 2009 that he had interacted with small age boys and downloaded pornographic pictures. 

In 2011, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for sexual offenses against underage males. "Wilson's victim was extremely scared during his time trapped in his flat and feared for his safety because he did not know Wilson, or what he was capable of," said Detective Constable Chris Hawkes of West Mercia Police, who spoke during the sentencing. "His nightmare lasted for three or four hours. When the light outside had gone, Wilson allowed him to leave. We are delighted to have achieved this result, which brings justice to the victim who suffered a humiliating and terrible experience in 2009," added Chris Hawkes.

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David Coote got fired for his racist chants

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) is looking into Premier League referee David Coote for allegedly calling Liverpool "sh*t" and their former manager Jurgen Klopp a "German c*nt" before video surfaced showing the 42-year-old sniffing a white substance at Euro 2024. Former referee Keith Hackett now asserts that drug testing for officials is necessary, something he says he has always advocated. 

He also came out as homosexual in an interview with The Sun, his first since being fired, and claimed that his actions were motivated by the demands of his job and his fear of being mistreated because of his sexual orientation. The 42-year-old Coote, who has refereed over 100 Premier League games, said that he "was not sober" at the time of the video and that his fear of coming out as gay drove him to turn to drugs.  

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