West Ham United center-back, Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal (a cat) under the Animal Welfare Act on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
The video was filmed and shared on social media by Zouma’s brother Yoan who is also a professional football at a lower division side, Dagenham and Redbridge.
West Ham United star Kurt Zouma will be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act after being filmed kicking his cat.
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) March 17, 2022
The RSPCA has begun the prosecution process against Zouma and his brother, Yoan, who was also filmed in the incident. pic.twitter.com/PNCoBAl2cJ
Immediately after the video surfaced, Zouma faced a series of backlash from football fans, animal rights activists, and critics. The incident forced the player to lose some of his endorsement deals.
At the time, critics wanted West Ham United to kick him out of the squad for his assault on his cat but the club’s manager, David Moyes insisted on playing the 27-year-old French defender.
Even though Kurt Zouma tendered a public apology for kicking, slapping, and throwing stuff at his cat, an animal welfare organization, RSPCA, took custody of Zouma’s two cats.
The organization did not stop there, they investigated the incident and confirmed that Kurt Zouma committed offenses under the Animal Welfare Act. Hence, the organization charged the French footballer to court.
On Tuesday, Zouma and his 24-year-old brother appeared before Thames Magistrates’ Court to commence the hearing of the offenses.
During the hearing, Prosecutor Hazel Stevens told the court that Kurt Zouma was heard saying: “I swear I’ll kill it, I swear I’ll kill it” while assaulting the cat in the viral video.
Afterward, Zouma admitted to kicking and slapping the cat which means that the court proceedings might be concluded speedily.
Zouma’s brother, Yoan, also admitted to one count of aiding, abetting, counseling, or procuring the West Ham United defender to commit the offense.
At the time of publishing this report, the magistrate court was yet to pronounce the punishment Kurt Zouma and his brother could face for assaulting a cat. However, Futballnews gathered that Zouma might be slammed with a lofty fine or sentence to community service, or both.
Note that in the outgoing 2021-2022 season, Zouma who joined West Ham United from Chelsea on August 28, 2021, for a transfer fee worth €35 million, played 33 games for West Ham in which he scored a goal and provided an assist.
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