WEST HAM DEFENDER Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to kicking and slapping a cat after a video of the incident surfaced online earlier this year.
Zouma (27) arrived at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning with his brother Yoan(24).
The Frenchman admitted to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal on 6 February by kicking it in the abdomen and slapping it on the head.
Zouma could be seen volleying the Bengal cat across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.
According to Skynews the footage of Zouma and his brother abusing the animal was shown to the court.
BREAKING: West Ham defender Kurt Zouma pleads guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal under the Animal Welfare Act. pic.twitter.com/qSmadOrHuQ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 24, 2022
Prosecutor Hazel Stevens told the court Kurt Zouma could be heard saying: 'I swear I'll kill it, I swear I'll kill it.'
Yoan Zouma admitted one count of aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring his older brother to commit an offense.
According to Ms Stevens, the incident caught on video happened because of damage done to a chair by the cat.
"Kurt Zouma is determined to chastise or carry out some sort of retribution for the damage caused.", she added.
Premier League defender Kurt Zouma was fined two weeks' wages at the time. This was the maximum permitted by West Ham, who donated the sum of about £250,000 to nine different charities at the time.
Zouma also lost a sponsorship deal with Adidas while the club's partners Kissimmee and Vitality pulled their deals after David Moyes played his centre back the day after the footage emerged.
Both cats were brought under the care of RSPCA on February 12 and Zouma has now signed over ownership.
Sentencing has been adjourned until 1 June.
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