West Ham’s Kurt Zouma has been ordered by a UK court to perform community service
West Ham defender Kurt Zouma, 27, has been ordered by a UK court to complete 180 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to kicking and slapping his cat in a case that shocked fans and fans alike. to animal rights charities.
The former Chelsea player admitted two UK Animal Welfare Act offenses at a hearing at Thames Magistrates Court last month after his brother Yoan, who plays for a lower league English club, shared in online a video that showed the soccer player abusing the defenseless animal. Yoan Zouma, 24, has also been ordered to undergo 140 hours of community service following an investigation led by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
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The offending video was posted on the social media platform Snapchat in February. The footage shows Kurt Zouma kicking the Bengal cat in his kitchen, and the player is heard saying, “I swear I will kill him”.
The abuse was understood to be retaliation for the cat’s damage to a chair on Zouma’s property.
Yoan Zouma’s online video also showed a series of ‘laughing emojis’ mocking the abuse.
“You two participated in this disgraceful and reprehensible act with this pet cat.” District Judge Susan Holdham said at Wednesday’s hearing.
“The cat admired you for taking care of its needs. On that date in February you did not attend to his needs. You must be aware that others admire you and many young people aspire to emulate you.”
After the sentence, West Ham issued a statement saying that the “condemn in the strongest termsanimal abuse or cruelty.
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“This type of behavior is unacceptable and not in line with the values of the football club. Within 48 hours of the footage appearing, we fined Kurt the maximum available to the club,” the statement read.
“Every penny of this money is now with various deserving charities, all dedicated to animal welfare. Kurt admitted at the first opportunity that what he did was wrong. He has apologized unreservedly.
“We hope that now that the court has reached its decision, everyone will allow Kurt the opportunity to learn from his mistake and move on..”