I received death threats for kicking a cat, says footballer as he faces jail
West Ham star tells of receiving ‘vile, racial abuse’ over film of him treating animal like a football
KURT ZOUMA received death threats after a video of him kicking a cat emerged, a court heard, as his lawyer claimed the level of hostility towards him in his native France means he is unable to return there.
The West Ham United defender, 27, yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal after he was filmed abusing a Bengal cat in a clip that went viral and prompted an RSPCA investigation. He could be jailed for up to five years. Zouma has since signed over the cats, and they are set to be rehomed by the RSPCA.
The defender’s brother, Yoan Zouma, 24, who plays for Dagenham and Redbridge, filmed the attack and posted it online. He admitted one count of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring his brother to commit an offence.
Trevor Burke QC, defending Kurt Zouma, said he had lost his Adidas sponsorship as a result of the incident and his client had received abuse that was “the worst” the football players’ union had seen. The messages were not read out, though a redacted copy was shown to the district judge, Susan Holdham.
She said: “I can see a number of messages – vile, racial abuse. There are threats to kill.”
Mr Burke added that his client and his family had 24-hour security because they feared reprisals. Police, he said, were prosecuting seven individuals who had abused or threatened the footballer online – and more than 100 internet accounts had been suspended as a result of the outcry.
Making a successful application to the judge for the prohibition of the publication of even the vicinity of Zouma’s address, Mr Burke said: “Mr Zouma, as a result of this video being posted on the internet, has received racial abuse over the internet that is the worst the FA has ever experienced. It is grotesque.”
The brothers appeared at Thames magistrates’ court yesterday. Kurt wore a black suit and white shirt, with blackand-white trainers. Yoan wore a navy suit and a striped tie.
Security guards, understood to be employed by West Ham, shielded Kurt from photographers as he arrived. Hazel Stevens, prosecuting, said Yoan sent the video to a woman he had been planning to go on a date with, but she cancelled after she saw his brother assaulting the cat. She was “horrified”, the court heard, particularly as he “appeared to find the events funny”. Ms Stevens said the woman told Yoan: “I don’t think hitting a cat like that is OK.”
When Yoan said his brother was responsible, she continued: “He is your family and that represents you. That’s very cruel. I don’t want to associate with people who find that funny.”
Yoan responded: “We never had animals before. Maybe that’s why we don’t know how to manage these cats.”
Ms Stevens said the video showed Kurt kicking a cat in the abdomen before slapping it across the head, but it was not clear from the footage which of the two animals had been targeted.
She said Kurt made a “deliberate and gratuitous attempt to cause suffering” to the cat, and there was an element of premeditation and staging to the video as it was captioned “it begins”.
Footage shows Kurt chasing the cat before kicking it “as though it were a football”, said Ms Stevens.
“They are both in positions of responsibility. They are role models whose behaviour is often copied,” said Ms Stevens. “Since that footage was put into the public domain, there have been videos posted … of people kicking cats.”
Police seized the elder brother’s two cats after the video appeared on Feb 6. West Ham fined him £250,000, but allowed him to continue playing for the first team. Sentencing was adjourned until June 1 so reports could be prepared. The brothers will be interviewed by probation officers before the hearing.