After pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his cat, West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma has been sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
For the next five years, the 27-year-old will not be allowed to own cats.
At a hearing in Thames Magistrates’ Court in May, he admitted to two offenses under the Animal Welfare Act.
At the 15-minute hearing, Yoan Zouma, Zouma’s brother and a Dagenham and Redbridge player, was sentenced to 140 hours of community service.
An RSPCA investigation led to the filing of the case.
Yoan pleaded guilty to one count of assisting, abetting, counseling, or procuring his older brother to commit a crime.
“Both of you took part in this disgraceful and reprehensible act with this pet cat,” district judge Susan Holdham said.
“The cat looked up to you to care for its needs. On that date in February you did not provide for its needs. You must be aware that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you.”
Yoan, 24, recorded the incident at his older brother’s house and shared it with ‘laughing’ emojis on Snapchat on February 6th.
Kurt was seen kicking the Bengal cat across his kitchen, slapping its head with a pair of shoes, and saying “I swear I’ll kill it” in the video.
Yoan, whose contract with Dagenham and Redbridge has been extended, had 80 Snapchat followers and only five accounts viewed the video before it was deleted a few minutes after it was posted, according to the court.
In addition to the 12-month community order, Kurt was also ordered to pay nearly £9,000 in court costs.
“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,” RSPCA chief inspectorate officer Dermot Murphy said.
“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.
“We believe teaching children to treat animals with kindness will lead to a more compassionate society. We need positive role models to help us do that.”
