The West Ham player pleaded guilty to assaulting a cat

French player Kurt Zouma, who defends West Ham, has caused widespread disapproval in the football environment after posting a video of him abusing his cat. In the recording, the brutal beating of the family’s pet could be seen while Yuan, his younger brother, recorded the scene.

This Tuesday (24), they had to appear in a City of London court and there the 27-year-old pleaded guilty. According to The Sun, Attorney General Hazel Stevens described the incident as saying the cat “kicked like a soccer ball”.

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According to forensic evidence, the cat could have been subjected to “undue suffering and fear” that caused trauma in dealing with humans. The attorney general not only highlighted that Zuma yelled “I swear I’m going to kill him” in the controversial video, but also made clear that for her a player should have an exemplary verdict.

“Treating pets in this way does not show exemplary good behavior. They both have a responsible position as footballers. They are models whose actions are copied,” the prosecutor in the case said.

The verdict will be known on June 1, and Kurt Zouma could be sentenced to up to five years in prison, although he has already been fined $320,000 (more than 1.5 million reais). This is due to the fact that in the last year the laws against animal abuse in the UK have been tightened.