London (AFP)
West Ham defender Kurt Zuma has been sentenced to 180 hours of community service for torturing a cat and pleading guilty in court.
In February, Zuma released headlines after releasing a video of him torturing a cat, sparking outrage in the UK and on social media.
Zuma’s brother, Juan, who can be heard laughing in the background, filmed a 27 – year – old man chasing a cat, kicking his seven – year – old son in the eyes and threatening him with shoes after hitting him on the head.
Brothers Zuma and Juan, 23, appeared last week in Thames Court in east London to plead guilty to animal abuse charges.
Judge Susan Holham, who handed down the verdict Wednesday morning, said the two brothers were involved in this outrageous and reprehensible incident.
And she continued: On that date in February, Zuma did not meet his “cat” needs, but you caused unnecessary suffering for your hobby.
The judge considered what happened to be an “isolated incident” but said Zuma was a “public figure” as a result of his role as a footballer in the Premier League, and you should know that many people see you, and many young people want to follow you.
Kurt Zuma was ordered to do 180 hours of community service, while his brother was sentenced to 140 hours, both placed under 12-month community orders.
Both brothers were banned from raising cats for the next five years.
As a result of what the French defender did, West Ham decided to punish him with “a hefty fine”, with two weeks’ salary estimated at $ 340,000, while Adidas decided to terminate his contract with the sportswear.