the times | Wednesday May 25 2022 15
News
The Premier League footballer Kurt
Zouma admitted kicking and slapping
his pet cat yesterday, a crime that ap-
pears to have inspired a wave of replica
attacks.
The West Ham defender, 27, pleaded
guilty to two counts of causing unnec-
essary suffering to an animal. The court
was told he launched a “premeditated”
attack on the male Bengal cat in Febru-
ary after it damaged a chair at his home.
In a 40-second video, which was
posted online, Zouma can be seen kick-
ing a cat across the kitchen floor and
throwing his shoes at the fleeing
animal. He encourages his seven-year-
old son to hold the cat as he slaps its
face.
Hazel Stevens, prosecuting on behalf
of the RSPCA, told Thames magis-
trates’ court, in Bow, that Zouma could
be heard saying: “I swear I’ll kill it.”
She added: “This is a scene which can
only be described as shocking. He did
not chastise the cat where it was but
brought it into the kitchen and kicked it
not want to associate” with
anyone who found such vio-
lence funny, especially in
front of a child, adding: “You
should be careful of that
stuff, especially with your
family being who they are.”
Trevor Burke QC, Zou-
ma’s lawyer, said his client
had lost a substantial sponsor-
ship deal with the sports brand
Adidas and had been subject toDepp ‘not to
blame’ for ex’s
film struggles
Keiran Southern Los AngelesFootball star admits kicking and
slapping cat in social media video
like a football.” Stevens said the French
international footballer had prompted
a spate of people hitting cats and post-
ing videos of it on social media sites.
“Treating family pets in this way does
not demonstrate good role model be-
haviour,” she said.
Appearing with Zouma was his
brother Yoan, 24, who plays for the
National League team Dagenham and
Redbridge. Yoan, who filmed the
video, admitted one charge of aiding,
abetting, counselling or procur-
ing his older brother to commit
the offence.
The court was told the
younger brother, who
could be heard laugh-
ing in the video, sent
the footage to a
woman he was about
to meet. She was so
shocked she called
off the date, telling
him: “I don’t think hit-
ting a cat like that is OK —
don’t bother coming today.”
She also told him she “didracist abuse and threats online since the
video emerged.
His club fined him about £250,000,
which was donated to several animal
welfare charities. He has also not been
picked for the France national team
since the video emerged. Yoan has not
played for his club either. Burke said: “A
Google search will always reveal the
guilty plea and the video.”
Because of the online abuse and
threats, the judge granted the Zouma
brothers’ request to have their address-
es withheld. Their arrival at court
caused a commotion. Security guards
used umbrellas to form a protective
shield, pushing photographers back as
the footballers entered the building.
Zouma agreed to have his two Bengal
cats rehomed by an independent vet
who assessed them. The vet said there
were no remaining signs of injuries but
being hit and kicked would have caused
suffering and being chased would have
caused distress.
The Zouma brothers were released
on bail and will be sentenced at the
same court next week.Laurence Sleator
Amber Heard’s role in the Aquaman se-
quel was almost recast due to a lack of
chemistry with the film’s star and not
because of an alleged smear campaign
orchestrated by Johnny Depp, a court
in Virginia was told yesterday.
Depp, 58, began a $50 million defa-
mation lawsuit after Heard, his former
wife, described herself as a victim of do-
mestic abuse in a newspaper. Heard, 36,
countersued for $100 million and said
Depp had tried to ruin her career.
Walter Hamada, the president of DC
films at Warner Bros, said the studio
had not been influenced by Depp when
it considered recasting Heard’s role in
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. He
said that after the first film in 2018 there
had been concerns about the chemistry
between Heard and Jason Momoa.
Hamada said there was a delay before
the studio decided to stick with Heard.
Hamada also denied that the studio
would have allowed Heard to renegoti-
ate her salary had she not been en-
gulfed in the fallout from her split from
Depp. The trial continues.
Kurt Zouma admitted the video
of him attacking a catJEREMY SELWYN; LNP; LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGESElizabeth
Line opens
in a wave
of purple
I
t was trainspotting
on an extraordinary
scale (Kieran Gair
writes). Some had
queued from
midnight dressed in
purple, others danced
through the barrier, but
they all shared a
common goal: to be
among the first
passengers to board an
Elizabeth Line train.
The first westbound
train left Abbey Wood
station at 6.30am,
followed three minutes
later by an eastbound
service from
Paddington. It was on
time, to the great relief
of London’s mayor.
As the clock ticked
closer to 6.30am, a
Mexican wave rippled
through the crowd
dressed in purple, the
line’s colour scheme, at
Abbey Wood in
southeast London.
“It’s brilliant,
absolutely brilliant,” said
Victoria Allen, 26,
outside the station as
her hair, dyed a violent
shade of purple, blew in
the wind. Norman Bret,65, was equally
unperturbed by the
unrelenting rain, ripping
back his coat to show off
a purple sweater
emblazoned with the
words “Not just a Tube
line #purple train.”
“I got here at 4am so I
probably look half
drowned by now,” the
pensioner laughed as he
jostled for space at the
front of the queue.
Karen Thompson, 50,
came dancing into
Abbey Wood station,
cheerfully proclaiming:
“My house price has just
gone up.”
Among a sea of
purple, she was one of
the few passengers whosaid she would stick to
the overground.
“Unfortunately the
Elizabeth Line won’t get
me to work,” Thompson
said, but added: “It’s
great for the area, and
our house prices. My
place has gone up by
£100,000 in less than a
year.”
The new line, formerly
Crossrail, is promising
to slash journey times
for millions of
Londoners and
transform travel across
the capital. Its 73 miles
stretch from Reading in
Berkshire and Heathrow
in west London to
Shenfield in Essex and
Abbey Wood insoutheast London. It was
20 years in the making,
three and a half years
late and billions of
pounds over budget.
But that didn’t matter
to the hundreds ofpassengers, the first of
whom had been waiting
since midnight to board
the first train.
The first major test of
the new line, and its
integration intoLondon’s broader rail
network, went smoothly.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor
of London, appeared
relieved. At Paddington,
Khan let out a sigh of
“Phew” as the first traindeparted on time at
6.33am. “It’s a landmark
day,” he added. “I’m like
the little boy before
Christmas.”
Andy Byford,
Transport for London
commissioner, was
beaming as customers
rushed on to the first
train at Paddington.
The opening caps a
tumultuous period for
the line. In August 2020
the departing Crossrail
board warned of a
£1.1 billion budget
overrun , bringing the
total cost of the project
to £18.7 billion. The
government has since
lent £825 million to
complete the project.
The new line will
increase central
London’s rail capacity by
10 per cent and be able
to carry more than half
a million passengers a
day. TfL estimates that
annual passenger
numbers will reach
170 million by 2026.
Boris Johnson said:
“Long-term investment
in infrastructure pays
off — with this
project alone
supporting 55,
new jobs, 1,
apprenticeships
and forecast to
boost the UK
economy by
£42 billion.”
About
130,000 people
travelled on the
new line in the
first few hours of
operation. TfL said
about 65,000 of those
used the new central
section between
Paddington and Abbey
Wo o d.
Last night 30 London
landmarks, including
the Eye and Tower
Bridge, were lit purple
to mark the occasion.The first train
left Paddington
at 6.33am,
carrying fans
of the new lineEli
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projec
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first f
operatist of London’sbroader railabout 65,
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