Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma has received an order to carry out 180 hours of community service after a video emerged on Snapchat where he kicked and slapped his pet cat.
The 27-year-old has also been banned from keeping cats for five years. He showed no emotion as the sentence was handed at Thames Magistrates Court in east London on Wednesday (June 1).
The West Ham defender drew a wide range of condemnation after footage emerged on Snapchat of him throwing his pet across the kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head. In the footage, he can be heard saying: "I swear I'll kill it".
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District judge Susan Holdham described Zouma's actions as "disgraceful and reprehensible". He pleaded guilty last week to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat after he blamed it for damaging a chair in his house.
Since the incident, his two Bengal male cats have been signed over to be rehomed. The court heard the "premeditated" attack was filmed by his younger brother, lower-league football Yoan Zouma, 24, in February this year.
Yoan had sent the video to a woman he was supposed to go on a date with. However, the woman was left shocked after viewing the footage, so she called off the date, telling him: "I don't think hitting a cat like that is OK - don't bother coming today."
The younger Zouma admitted to one count of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring his older brother to commit an offence.
Ms 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.”
The judge said both men expressed “genuine remorse”. The judge added: “You must be aware that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you.”
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