EXCLUSIVE: West Ham’s Kurt Zouma was bombarded with racist abuse and death threats on social media after images of him kicking his cat appeared, and police launched an investigation while Instagram suspended more than 100 accounts.
- Kurt Zouma was threatened with being shot and sexually abused after a video of him kicking his cat appeared this year.
- The West Ham defender appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act
- Instagram has suspended more than 100 accounts linked to Zouma’s threats
By Sami Mokbel for the Daily Mail
Posted: 19:50, 24 May 2022 | Updated: 8:29 PM, May 24, 2022
Essex police are investigating a flurry of abusive private messages sent to defender Kurt Zouma repeatedly calling him the “N word” and the target of horrific death threats following the infamous episode of cat kicks .
The 27-year-old Frenchman pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared in the Thames Court of First Instance in East London on Tuesday morning.
Images of Zouma – and her brother Yoan – abusing a cat appeared in February, which eventually led to the couple being prosecuted by the RSPCA.
West Ham defender Kurt Zouma, 27, appeared in the Thames Court of First Instance in East London on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to two charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
Zouma has been the target of abuse and death threats since a video of him kicking his cat appeared and police have opened an investigation.
But unusually, the court agreed that Zouma’s address be withheld, at the request of his lawyer.
And Sportsmail may reveal some of the horrifying messages Zouma sent on social media that forced the judge not to reveal the former Chelsea defender’s address amid obvious concerns for the safety of players.
In the messages seen by Sportsmail, Zouma and her family are threatened with sexual assault. Zouma is given the name monkey and the word “N”.
Zouma is also told he will be stabbed. The center is also being told that he will be disqualified, while another is threatening to cut off several limbs.
A statement from an Essex police spokesman told Sportsmail: “We received a report on April 8 from a report of malicious communications.
“Our inquiries are ongoing and we continue to work with social media platforms to identify those responsible.”
It is also understood that the Premier League is aware of the messages.
Kurt Zouma was forced to apologize after a video of him kicking his cat went viral in February
Instagram is believed to have suspended more than 100 accounts in connection with threats against West Ham defender Zouma (center)
Sportsmail understands that Instagram has suspended the accounts of more than 100 users linked to the abuse that Zouma has received.
Submitting a successful petition for the judge to ban the publication of his address, Trevor Burke QC, in defense, said: “Mr. Zouma, as a result of the publication of this video on the Internet, has received racial abuse. on the internet which is the worst FA has ever experienced.It is grotesque.
Zouma, who has been fined by West Ham, has apologized after the image was shared by his younger brother Yoan, 24, who admitted to a crime during Tuesday’s hearing.