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Kurt Zouma confronted by giant cat at court | discovers animal abuse sentencing

Kurt Zouma was confronted by a person dressed as a giant cat at court as he discovers the animal abuse sentencing put to him on Wednesday.

The Hammers player has been sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid community work, ordered to pay costs of £8,887 and banned from owning cats for five years after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his pet.

Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, the centre back, 27, was greeted by a man in a cat outfit as he arrived at Thames Magistrates Court to hear the verdict from District Judge Susan Holdham, who said the incident as “disgraceful and reprehensible.”

His brother Yoan Zouma, who plays for National League outfit Dagenham & Redbridge, has been sentenced to 140 hours after facing a charge of “aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring Kurt Zouma to commit the offence.” He also pleaded guilty last week after he filmed the cats being abused and did nothing to prevent it.

Judge Holdham took into consideration that both players had no other offences prior to this and pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity, in addition to Kurt Zouma being fined £250,000 by West Ham after the incident occurred in February.

Speaking directly to Kurt Zouma before giving the sentence, she said: “You kicked and slapped either the same cat or both of them – that cat looked to you to care for its needs On that date in February, you didn’t provide for its needs but caused unnecessary suffering for your own amusement.”

Last week he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing “unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, by kicking and slapping a cat”, in contravention of section 4 subsection 1 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. A third charge was issued for failing to “protect the animal from pain suffering injury or disease” in contravention of section 9 was withdrawn.

Both cats were brought under the care of RSPCA on the 12th of February and Zouma has also signed over ownership no doubt with regret.

The court was told that a woman who had been in contact with Yoan Zouma about having a date with him raised concern after seeing the viral video video that was published to Snapchat. She was so appalled by it that she then cancelled the date.

Prosecutor Hazel Stevens told the court that Kurt could be heard saying: “I swear I’ll kill it, I swear I’ll kill it.” Ms Stevens also said that there has been a “spate of people hitting cats and posting it on various social media sites” since the Zouma incident.

After the video surfaced Kurt Zouma was fined two weeks’ wages – the maximum permitted – by West Ham, who donated the sum of £250,000 to nine different charities.

He also lost a sponsorship deal with adidas with the club’s partners Kissimmee and Vitality also getting rid of their deals after Zouma was allowed to continue playing under manager David Moyes. The defender’s legal team have argued that he is no longer being considered for selection by France owing to the incident.

Zouma said he was “deeply sorry” when the video was doing the rounds online in February. “I want to apologise for my actions. There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret. I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video. I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.”

Yoan Zouma hasn’t played for his club Dagenham and Redbridge since late January but the National League club announced that his contract has been extended. He was initially suspended before being allowed to return to training after the police investigation closed on the 16th of March.

Fans reacted as Kurt Zouma was confronted by giant cat at court and he discovers the animal abuse sentencing…

@Twiggy29b: Surely a ban on owning a pet should have been a definite !!

@gabebryant06: Seriously not enough, a total ban on him keeping animals would be more appropriate imo, not just 5 years

@altrinchamhq: Should be banned for life from keep cats rather than just 5 years

@fergy94_: Kurt Zouma getting 180 hours community service for committing a crime – punishable of up to 5 years in jail – in broad daylight while being recorded is a joke. There’s no way any normal person would have received such a lenient sentence.

@lacbeckett: Conveniently timed for after the season and now this – how is this not a lifetime ban on owning any pet 😡 this is a disgrace.

@FrugalFH: 180 hours of cleaning out litter trays, hopefully.

@JChurchwater: Cleaning out the hospital cages at Battersea Dogs home I hope…

@ryan_jones_lp: Cats around the UK currently celebrating with king-size packs of Dreamies

@gazsc: This is NOT acceptable. @KurtZouma drserves a lit more than jut a pathetic slap on the wrist. @RSPCA_official this needs appealed. Leniant sentence.

@GizmoMorris: #KurtZouma getting community service is a far better punishment than a fine that any footballer can easily afford to pay off. Making him accountable is much more humiliating for him and I hope he gets the worst kind of shitty job possible! Who the fuck kicks their own pet #spas

@UtdNath_: That Kurt Zouma news has really annoyed me, 5 year ban for having cats. First of all it should be a lifetime ban and it should be for all pets not just cats. He’s one sick fuck and should be punished a lot harder.

@LUFCLUCY: I swear the legal system is so corrupt towards those with a higher status, 180 hours of community service kurt zouma got for violent acts towards an innocent cat, any normal person would’ve been punished more severely.

@mrcadlupton: 180 hours is nothing, but the most galling thing is the ban of owning cats is for 5 years only. What he demonstrated wasn’t a lapse in judgement, it looked habitual. #KurtZouma

@HoweWayTheLads: So in 5 years time Kurt Zouma can kick cats again. Not really the message to get across with that lenient sentencing. Kicking an animal is the same as kicking a person.

@cargill_andy: So Kurt Zouma gets community service and not allowed to keep cats for 5yrs? Disgusting!!! He shouldn’t be allowed to keep any kind of pet ever again in my eyes. And if any of us did that we would get a lot more than a few hours community service!!

@Casson12: Don’t get how he has the right to keep Animals ever? Then again with our legal system,wouldn’t be surprised if his Community Service is at a Cat Sanctuary.

@djmikewheeler: Very lenient as footballers visit kids in schools and hospitals etc. as part of their job. He should be made to serve the entire community by picking litter or working in a charity shop

@lecrin: 180 hours of community service and he can once again own a cat in 5 years. Despite being on record saying he would kill his last one. Pathetic ‘punishment’ #KurtZouma Terrible example to others.

Kurt Zouma confronted by giant cat at court | discovers animal abuse sentencing
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