POCKET MONEY
Kurt Zouma AVOIDS jail & is fined just half a day’s wages after yelling ‘I’ll kill it’ while kicking cat in sick video
DISGRACED Kurt Zouma today avoided jail and was fined just half a day's wages after he admitted kicking his cat "like a football".
The West Ham defender, 27, sparked a public outcry after the shocking clip was revealed by The Sun in February.
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Zouma admitted two charges under the Animal Welfare Act, while a third was left to lie on the file by prosecutors.
His brother Yoan, who appeared in the dock alongside him, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Act after filming the vile clip.
Both men escaped jail when they were sentenced today at Thames Magistrates' Court.
Zouma was handed a 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work, while his brother was also handed a 12-month community order and ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
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Both were banned from keeping cats for five years and will be fined £8,887, which is just 12 hours' wages for £125,000-a-week Zouma.
They faced up to five years in jail after the law around sentencing for animal abusers was toughened last year.
Sentencing, District Judge Susan Holdham said: "Both of you took part in this disgraceful and reprehensible act with this pet cat."
The court was previously shown shocking footage of Zouma kicking and slapping his Bengal cat in his £2million mansion.
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Prosecutor Hazel Stevens said both of Zouma's cats were likely to have suffered soft tissue trauma in the sick attack.
This would have left the animals, which were both signed over to the RSPCA, in "pain and discomfort" and fearful of humans in the future.
Ms Stevens also described how one cat had been “kicked like a football” causing "unnecessary suffering and fear".
She told the court Zouma could be heard saying: "I swear I'll kill it, I swear I'll kill it."
He also yelled "I'll hit it, you want a fight" and "Where is it. Where is it?"
The video was then sent by Dagenham and Redbridge player Yoan to a woman he was hoping to go on a date with but she cancelled, telling him: "Don't bother coming today".
He also shared it with his 80 followers on his Snapchat account.
The prosecutor added: "Treating family pets in this way does not demonstrate good role model behaviour.
"They both have a position of responsibility as footballers. They are role models whose actions are copied."
SICK FOOTAGE
The French international could be seen chasing one of the cats around his dining room in front of a child as the cameraman laughed.
Zouma also hurled a pair of designer shoes at the pet, which could be seen frantically trying to escape.
In a final clip, he is seen forcefully slapping the cat in the face — and out of the child’s arms.
He continued to play for West Ham following the horror but was booed by away fans and his own supporters.
Gaffer David Moyes said at the time he understood the criticism he faced for continuing to select the France international, admitting what the player had done was "terrible".
And he defended the player in the wake of the animal cruelty storm.
The manager also revealed the defender is "hoping he is forgiven" after the footage emerged.
'CRUELTY'
Zouma was fined £250,000 - two weeks' wages - for the attack and issued a grovelling apology insisting his cats were both "perfectly fine and healthy".
But he was still dropped by sponsors Adidas and Vitality UK following the public outcry.
Ironically, the footballer was listed an ambassador for a charity which protects abused big cats.
In a statement, a West Ham club spokesman said today: "West Ham United wishes to make clear that we condemn in the strongest terms any form of animal abuse or cruelty. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and is not in line with the values of the football club.
"Within 48 hours of the footage emerging, we fined Kurt the maximum available to the club.
"Every single penny of this money is now with a number of deserving charities, all dedicated to animal welfare.
"Kurt admitted at the earliest opportunity that what he did was wrong. He has apologised without reservation.
"We hope that now the court has reached its decision, everyone will allow Kurt the chance to learn from his mistake and move on."
RSPCA chief inspectorate officer Dermot Murphy said: “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.
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“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.”
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