West Ham Kurt Zouma confesses to kicking a pet cat

Kurt Zouma, a West Ham defender, confessed to kicking and hitting his pet cat in court in London on Tuesday, in a case that sparked indignation across the country.

At Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London, the France international pleaded guilty to two offenses under the Animal Welfare Act.

After frightening evidence was taken and uploaded by his younger brother Yoan, 24, who acknowledged one offense at the hearing, Zouma, 27, was obliged to apologize.

In a tumultuous arrival at court, Hammers defender Zouma was escorted by six security men who emerged from a truck holding umbrellas to form a protective shield around the defendant.

Following a court order, the brothers’ addresses have been withheld.

The court was shown a frightening video of the incident, which was shot at Zouma’s house and shared on Snapchat by his brother on February 6.

A woman who had been messaging Yoan later saw it and raised the alarm.

Zouma was spotted kicking the Bengal cat across his kitchen floor, then smacking its head with a pair of shoes.

Prosecutor Hazel Stevens told the court Kurt Zouma could be heard saying: “I swear I’ll kill it, I swear I’ll kill it.”

On February 6, he was guilty to two counts of causing needless suffering to a protected animal.

Yoan admitted to assisting, abetting, counseling, or procuring his older brother to commit a crime on one count.