Written By Mary Mumbua 📝
Kurt Zouma has been sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping a cat.
The West Ham defender was handed a 12-month community order and also banned from keeping cats for five years. He was told to pay nearly £9,000 in court costs.
Disturbing footage of the incident, filmed at Zouma’s home and posted on Snapchat by his brother, Yoan, emerged in February.
Zouma, 27, admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal by kicking it in the abdomen and slapping it on the head at Thames Magistrates’ Court last week.
West Ham hopes Zouma will learn from his mistakes according to a statement.
“West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been handed a community service order following an investigation by the RSPCA,”
“We hope that now the court has reached its decision, everyone will allow Kurt the chance to learn from his mistake and move on.” Read part of the statement.
In another statement, RSPCA chief inspectorate officer Dermot Murphy said: “We hope this case will serve as a reminder that all animals deserve to be treated with kindness, compassion and respect, and that we will not tolerate cruelty by anybody.”
