French footballer Kurt Zouma pleaded guilty to British justice on Tuesday, three months after a massive scandal erupted across the channel by the broadcast of a video where he was seen licking his cat.

Tried for complicity, his 24-year-old brother Yoann, who filmed and shared a 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 that he “aided, encouraged, counseled or abetted his elder brother to commit a crime”.

His sentence is known on June 1

according sky News, both men will know of their sentence on June 1. According to SunKurt Zouma faced up to five years in prison after the animal welfare law was tightened last year.

After the video was released, the player’s two cats were taken under the supervision of the Animal Protection Society (RSPCA), which began the process of prosecuting Kurt and Yoann Zouma under the law to protect animal welfare.

300,000 euro fine imposed by West Hamo

The London club did not suspend their player and even asked him to play a match until the evening of the revelations of the matter, prompting a huge wave of protests.
The player was eventually fined around 300,000 euros, the highest possible levied by his club, and sports equipment manufacturer Adidas broke a sponsorship contract with the player.

West Ham had assured that, according to information available to the club, the cats had “no bodily injuries”. The club then assured that the financial penalty imposed on the player was donated to animal protection associations.