Kurt Zouma, a footballer who plays for English Premier League’s West Ham United, was on Wednesday sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his pet cat.
The 27-year-old defender was also banned from owning cats for five years, and told to pay almost £9,000 in court costs.
Zouma pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 of causing unnecessary suffering to cats at a hearing at the Thames Magistrates’ Court in London last month.
The incident was filmed by the footballer’s brother Yoan in February, who later posted it on Snapchat. He was also ordered to carry out 140 hours of community service.
The footage showed Zouma kicking, throwing, and slapping his Bengal cat, an act that caused widespread outrage. The clip also showed him saying “I swear I’ll kill it.”
“Both of you took part in this disgraceful and reprehensible act with this pet cat. You must be aware that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you,” said district judge Susan Holdham said in her ruling.
Since the incident, Zouma has lost a sponsorship deal with Adidas, as well as his place on the French national team, and has been fined £250,000, the court was told.
Zouma’s two cats were seized by police and taken into the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), where they have remained since.
‘Swift justice’
“We are pleased there has been swift justice in this awful case and our focus now is matching these beautiful cats to the loving homes they deserve,” said RSPCA chief inspectorate officer Dermot Murphy after the hearing.
“This case sends a really clear message that animals should never be treated like this, and posting videos of animals being harmed on social media for likes is abhorrent,” he added.
‘Chance to learn from his mistake’
A spokesperson for West Ham said any form of animal abuse or cruelty is “unacceptable” and not in line with the values of the football club.
“Within 48 hours of the footage emerging, we fined Kurt the maximum available to the club. Every single penny of this money is now with a number of deserving charities, all dedicated to animal welfare,” the statement read.
“Kurt admitted at the earliest opportunity that what he did was wrong. He has apologised without reservation. We hope that now the court has reached its decision, everyone will allow Kurt the chance to learn from his mistake and move on.”
Source: Anadolu Agency