CAT kicking coward Kurt Zouma gave up his pets permanently yesterday as the disgraced Premier League defender admitted animal cruelty.
The images showed the Bengals playing while recovering from the RSPCA, but experts warned of the long-term trauma caused by the sick footballer’s “premeditated” attacks.
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Kurt Zouma has admitted to kicking his pet Credit: SWNS
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The pictures showed him pulling the animal out of his kitchen
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Experts warned that the Bengals could suffer long-term trauma caused by the “premeditated” attacks of the sick footballer.
A prison sentence is not off the table when the West Ham star is convicted next month.
And yesterday the brave whistleblower of The Sun said: “What he did was disgusting and the prison is not too extreme.”
Zouma’s lawyer argued that his punishment should be limited to a fine, saying he had lost a “substantial” Adidas contract and that West Ham had awarded him £ 250,000.
But Judge Susan Holdham replied dryly, “I read it’s a two-week salary.”
We revealed in February that Zouma had been filmed by Brother Yoan “encouraging him to kick his pet” while his seven-year-old son watched.
The source said: “Her son looked scared and probably loved those cats.
“Now they’re gone forever. How can an adult behave like that and do it with their own child?
The RSPCA decided to prosecute the siblings after we passed our test record.
At around 9.30am yesterday, 27-year-old older brother Kurt was released from a passenger transport to be taken out of court by security guards, who are believed to have been hired by West Ham.
The 6-foot, 3-inch French center-back took off his hood over his face and approached behind three heavyweights as he entered the building.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Yoan, who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge, a non-league player, arrived in Thames Court in Bow, East London, without an entourage.
At 10:36 a.m., the brothers entered the dock where they both pleaded guilty to animal abuse.
Wearing a black suit and an open-collar white shirt, West Ham star Zouma could not see how images of the attack were being reproduced.
The court learned that on February 6 he turned around after one of the two Bengal cats broke a vase and damaged a chair in his £ 2 million home.
RSPCA prosecutor Hazel Stevens said Zouma launched a “premeditated” attack on the animals, which was filmed by Yoan and later posted on Snapchat.
The footage began with the caption “ça comença”, in French for “is starting”, showing Zouma grabbing a cat.
He is then seen returning to the kitchen before dropping it and then kicking him in the stomach and floor.
As the terrified pet walks away, Yoan hears laughter.
“I SWEAR I WILL KILL HIM”
The shared footage, which is full of laughing emojis, records Zouma throwing a shoe at a cat.
He hears it; “I’ll get it right, do you want a fight? Where is it? Where is it?” Then he adds, “I’ll kill him, I swear I’ll kill him.”
Zouma’s distressed seven-year-old son is seen grabbing Bengal before his father says, “Come on, come on.”
As he approaches, Zouma is filmed slapping the cat in the head, causing him to pull over a counter before fleeing.
Mrs. Stevens told the court that Yoan ended the clip by saying of the cat, “Damn. Poor thing.”
A day later, Yoan sent the video to a woman he wanted to date.
But she replied, “I don’t think hitting a cat like that is okay, the cat doesn’t know what he’s doing. Don’t bother coming today.”
When Yoan tried to tell her that he was her brother in the video, she replied, “It’s your family and that represents you. It’s very cruel.
“I don’t want to be associated with people who find it funny, especially in front of a child as well.”
Both cats were captured by the RSPCA. The court learned that two experts examined them three days later.
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Wearing a black suit and an open-collar white shirt, West Ham star Zouma could not be seen repeating disgusting images of the attackCredit: Paul Edwards
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His brother Yoan also pleaded guilty after filming the vile clip Credit: Paul Edwards
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A prison sentence is not on the table when West Ham defender is convicted next month Credit: Reuters
One, a veterinarian, said it was likely that the cat with a kick in the stomach had suffered a soft tissue trauma, leaving him with pain and discomfort and causing him stress and fear.
An animal behavior expert also said it is likely that the two cats are now more afraid of humans because of the cruelty shown to them.
Ms Stevens said there had been imitating attacks on other animals since then.
He said of the defendants: “Both have a position of responsibility as footballers.
“They are models to follow whose actions are copied. Your behavior does not meet the expectations of a high profile image. “
Zouma, who was an ambassador for a large cat charity, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
STATEMENT OF GUILT
Yoan accepted a charge of aiding, abetting, advising or prosecuting an animal welfare offense.
Two other charges against the men were dropped.
All options for sentencing remain open, including imprisonment, with the possibility of up to five years. Judge Holdham ordered reports before a hearing next Wednesday.
Siblings are also likely to be affected by bans on having animals.
The source who sounded the alarm said that if Zouma is not sent to prison he would still have to “publicly pay the price.”
They said: “I hope you receive some kind of community service where you have to work with animals and learn how to treat them humanely.
“He will hate to do it, but he should be publicly paid the price of his shares. The Sun and the RSPCA have done it brilliantly: this is the result he wanted.”
They added: “What he did was horrible. He was an ambassador for a big cat charity for God’s sake.
“That video showed that there was nothing humanitarian about it.
“It’s very important that people say these kinds of things when they see it and show up. I’m very happy that they’ve been made to face what they’ve done.”
The court said the animals are now safe, although they have not yet been relocated.
But the RSPCA urged Sun readers not to offer help because they are currently being harassed with cases.
Dermot Murphy of the RSPCA said: “It is never acceptable to treat an animal this way and we were surprised when the video first came to our attention.
“What makes this case even sadder is the way the video was filmed and shared, bringing to light this cruelty. We hope this case serves as a reminder that all animals deserve to be treated with kindness, compassion. and respect, and we will not tolerate cruelty on anyone’s part. “
ADDRESS GAG ORDER
Kurt Zouma’s lawyers received a scathing order yesterday to prevent the media from identifying the city or county where he lives.
Judge Susan Holdham agreed that the publication would be “reckless” as she imposed a contempt order on Section 11, which is normally reserved for national security cases.
The petition was supported by Zouma’s brother’s lawyers. It means that the details of either address can be made public, although Kurt’s city name has been widely reported online.
Press groups opposed the decision.
Zouma’s lawyer, Trevor Burke QC, added that his client had faced racist “killing threats” on social media, the attacks among “the worst the PFA (Association of Professional Footballers) had ever seen “.
He said Prem star Zouma was now “24 hours a day.”
Burke said social media companies had closed 100 accounts and police have investigated 150.
The charges were likely in seven cases, he said.