West Ham star Kurt Zouma pleads guilty to kicking and slapping cat

West Ham United centre back Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to two offences under the animal cruelty act after appearing at a first hearing at Thames Magistrates Court this morning (Tuesday, May 24). The 27-year-old France international, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, covered his face and was hurried past photographers alongside two umbrella-carrying bodyguards as he arrived at the court for a hearing alongside his brother Yoan, 23.

The case was taken by the RSPCA in relation to a video posted online on February 6 which allegedly showed him harming one of his cats, reports the Mirror. He has pleaded guilty to of 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third charge of failing to “protect the animal from pain suffering injury or disease” in contravention of section 9 was withdrawn. Both cats remain under the care of RSPCA.

After the video surfaced Kurt Zouma was fined two weeks' wages - the maximum permitted - by West Ham, who donated the sum of about £250,000 to charity. He also lost a sponsorship deal with Adidas while the club's partners Kissimmee and Vitality pulled their deals after Zouma continued to play under manager David Moyes.

Zouma said he was "deeply sorry" when the footage was circulated 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 has not played for his club Dagenham and Redbridge since late January. He was initially