Racial barrage hits Zouma as he admits cat cruelty

ESSEX police are investigating a flurry of abusive messages sent to Kurt Zouma in which he was repeatedly called the N-word and targeted with chilling death threats in the aftermath of the infamous cat-kicking episode. The 27-year-old West Ham defender pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London yesterday morning. Footage emerged in February of Zouma — and his brother Yoan — abusing a cat, which led to the pair being prosecuted by the RSPCA. Unusually, Zouma’s address was withheld in court yesterday, at the request of his lawyer. And Sportsmail can now disclose the content of some of the horrifying messages sent to the player on social media that compelled the judge not to reveal his address, amid concerns for his safety. Zouma and his family were threatened with sexual assault and Zouma was repeatedly called a monkey and the N-word. He was told he would be shot and stabbed, left disabled and threatened with having limbs cut off. An Essex Police spokesman told Sportsmail: ‘We received a report on April 8 of an allegation of malicious communications. ‘Our enquiries are ongoing, and we continue to work with social media platforms to identify those responsible.’ The Premier League are aware of the messages. Instagram have suspended the accounts of more than 100 users linked to the Zouma abuse.