Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma has been ordered to do 180 hours of community service and has been banned from having cats for five years for kicking and slapping his cat.
The 27-year-old West Ham and France defender was widely condemned after images filmed by his brother Yoan Zouma appeared, in which Zouma made the pet fly around his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at him. slap him in the head.
Condemning the brothers to the 15-minute hearing, District Judge Susan Holdham said: “You both took part in this shameful and reprehensible act with this cat.
“You have to be aware that others love you and that many young people aspire to emulate you.”
He added: “The cat admired you for taking care of his needs. On that date in February you did not meet his needs.”
The judge said both men expressed “true remorse.”
Kurt Zouma was also ordered to pay about £ 9,000 in court costs. Her brother was ordered to do 140 hours of community service and was also banned from having cats for five years.
The February Snapchat clip showed Zouma laughing and saying, “I swear I’ll kill him.”
Last week, he pleaded guilty in Thames Magistrates’ Court in East London to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat, after blaming the family’s pet for damaging a chair.
Since then, her two male Bengali cats have been signed to be relocated.
The court learned that the “premeditated” attack was filmed by his younger brother, lower league footballer Yoan, 24, who sent him to a woman with whom he was to date.
But the woman was so surprised that she canceled her meeting and said, “I don’t think hitting a cat like that is okay. Don’t bother coming today.”
Yoan Zouma admitted a charge of helping, complying, advising or trying to get his older brother to commit a crime.
The court learned that Zouma had been abused and threatened with racism, lost a “substantial” sponsorship deal with Adidas, was fined £ 250,000 and lost his place in the French national team since the outrage. by the images.
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But claims by his legal team in court that seven people should be prosecuted for abusing Zouma were later dismissed by police.
In a statement, RSPCA chief inspector Dermot Murphy said: “We hope this case serves as a reminder that all animals deserve to be treated with kindness, compassion and respect, and that we will not tolerate anyone’s cruelty. “.
Several people gathered outside the courthouse when Zouma arrived dressed in a black suit and white shirt. They include a person dressed as a cat.
A spokesman for West Ham United said in a statement: “West Ham United want to make it clear that we strongly condemn any form of animal cruelty or cruelty. This kind of behavior is unacceptable and does not fit the values. of the football club.
“Within 48 hours of the image appearing, we fined Kurt the maximum available to the club. Every penny of this money is now with several well-deserved charities, all dedicated to animal welfare.
“Kurt admitted at the first opportunity that what he did was wrong. He apologized unreservedly.
“We hope that now that the court has made its decision, everyone will give Kurt a chance to learn from his mistake and move on.”