Views from the Sieve

Footballer Kurt Zouma is due in court on Tuesday at 10am over allegations he kicked a cat and slapped another in the head in disturbing videos posted online.

The 27-year-old West Ham defender is due in the dock at Thames magistrates court after a Snapchat video went viral, apparently showing him booting the pet across the room.

Zouma faces two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, as well as an allegation that he breached an animal welfare duty.

His younger brother Yoan, 23, has also been charged following an investigation by the RSPCA.

He is accused of aiding and abetting the causing of unnecessary suffering to a protected animal in the same incident, which happened on February 6.

Walked past Yoan and Steve getting off the tube at Bow Road yesterday morning - about 15 paparazzi outside the magistrates court too. Also if you've seen the video of Kurt arriving - slightly bigger budget than Yoan I think hahaha

Seems odd, I was under the impression that Yoan lived with his brother so they could just travel together.

Mark wrote: ↑Wed May 25, 2022 9:45 am Seems odd, I was under the impression that Yoan lived with his brother so they could just travel together.

Apparently not but maybe Steve wanted to meet him at our place first just to chat it through with him. I may head down there at lunch again today to do some more detective work

140 hours of community service and he gets a contract extension, which, I'm sure, will go down well

AVincelotFlyingLeap wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 11:14 am 140 hours of community service and he gets a contract extension, which, I'm sure, will go down well

Un-********-beleivable that the club has retained him!
I’m moving to Scotland in a week and thankfully won’t have to watch that scum desecrating the badge!

I've got two cats, always had cats growing up too and I love them but personally think people need move on from this. He's not murdered anyone and plenty of people in life get a second chance. On football matters he looked 'okay' in the games he played and then gave that daft pen away against York so give him a chance I say.

People need to move on from the car thing, should he never be given another chance anywhere just left on the scrap heap?

I would have let him go for his footballing ability and the fact he will get crucified at every ground he plays at. He was ok against poor sides when we first got games but looked out of his depth against anyone half decent.

Agree with RM1Dagger. Lets move on, it will do no one any good resurrecting the past. If anyone on this Forum has never committed a crime or done anything wrong, then he has a right to say something but I guess that will be a very few people if anyone.
In this coming season lets see what Yoan is made of and if he is a bad as some of you make out then he will no doubt move on but for goodness sake give him a chance.
Good to see Steve Thompson giving support to one of his players by accompanying him to court. Well done Steve!

I would have got rid of him for the York penalty tbh. The cat stuff doesn’t bother me as he has been punished by the courts. Which is probably more punishment than other people with less famous brothers have received for similar crimes. Do agree though that the abuse he will get, depending on how he responds to it, could make him a liability for us.

Hopefully this summer everyone will forget and he will suddenly start playing like his brother…

He hasn’t been outstanding by any means but obviously the powers that be think there is something worth working on, and at the end of the day it was only a cat (not that I condone animal cruelty) there are others playing at a higher level who have killed through drunk driving and served sentences for rape, I’m happy to give him a chance.

I am a person that has had a cat as part of the family expect for my time in college and maybe the first few years of marriage. So maybe 45 of my 52 years or so. I like cats.

I don't think what Yoan did was so egregious that he does not deserve a chance to redeem himself. I do wish it was not with my Daggers and really not even with any National League team. I would have preferred a year in NL South or NL North if at all possible.

But he is back and having him back is not such a travesty that I would stop following the Daggers from afar. Hopefully he can also redeem himself from the York fiasco.

I would have liked to have seen a few more community service hours and those house be specifically at an animal shelter where he has to work with cats.