Three months after the enormous scandal caused throughout the English Channel by the broadcast of a video in which he was seen beating his cat, the French footballer Kurt Zouma pleaded guilty this Tuesday before the British justice.

Prosecuted for complicity, his brother Yoan, 24, who filmed and shared video of the 27-year-old West Ham player kicking and slapping the animal, also appeared at Thames Magistrates Court in east London. He admitted to having “aided, encouraged, advised or abetted his older brother to commit a crime”.

His sentence known on June 1

According to sky newsThe two men will know their sentence on June 1. According to SunKurt Zouma faces up to five years in prison following the tightening of animal welfare legislation last year.

Following the release of the video, the player’s two cats were made available to the RSPCA, which had initiated proceedings for Kurt and Yoan Zouma to be prosecuted under animal welfare protection legislation.

A fine of 300,000 euros imposed by West Ham

The London club had not sanctioned its player and had even made him play a game the night of the revelation of the matter, causing a great wave of protests.
The player was finally fined around 300,000 euros, the maximum possible, imposed by his club and the sports equipment manufacturer Adidas had broken a sponsorship contract with the player.

West Ham had assured that, according to the information available to the club, the cats “had not suffered physical injuries.” The club then assured that the economic sanction imposed on the player had been donated to animal protection associations.