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Cape Town - The lawyer of British journalist Simon Wright has hit out at national police commissioner General Bheki Cele, who on Tuesday told journalists that Wright had "orchestrated" a plot with an English fan to paint World Cup security in a bad light.

William Booth was speaking outside a Cape Town special World Cup court where Wright's case had just been postponed to July 7 and his R3 000 bail extended.

Charges against Pavlos Joseph, who paid a R750 admission of guilt fine for illegally getting into the English team's dressing room in Cape Town earlier this month, were dropped at the same court. He was not present at the court.

Booth said because the case was sub judice, comments on its merits should not be made at this stage.

"We regard them as very serious and we submit they should not have been made," he said.

"Obviously my client feels rather aggrieved."

Booth said there had been no prior arrangement between Wright and Joseph, and Wright's contact with the fan had been an interview in the course of his business as a senior journalist.

'Unintentional'

At the time he spoke to Joseph there had been no warrant out for Joseph's arrest, he said adding that the police had merely wanted to question Joseph, he said.

"There was no intention at all to harbour a fugitive from justice, if Mr Joseph was a fugitive from justice," he said.

Wright, who was mobbed by photographers and television camera crews as he left the court, declined to speak to the media.


After the June 18 incident, the British newspaper the Sunday Mirror reported Joseph as saying he had been looking for a toilet after the game in which England drew 0-0 with Algeria.

It quoted him as saying he saw former England captain David Beckham in the change rooms, told him he needed a toilet, then added: "David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?"

Following his arrest, Joseph was banned from further cup matches.

Bid for withdrawal of charges

Wright had earlier surrendered his passport to police and as part of his bail conditions has been ordered to have no contact with employees of the city's Bay Hotel, and has to report daily to the Cape Town police station.

Police arrested Wright, who works for the Sunday Mirror, on Monday in connection with the Joseph incident.

According to the court docket, he has been charged with "defeating or obstructing the administration of justice" and contravening the Immigration Act.

The immigration charge says it is related to "providing false particulars".

Booth told the magistrate Grant Engel he had not seen a formal charge sheet, but that he intended to make representations for the withdrawal of charges against his client.

Included in the representations would be a response to the charges and to the basis on which Wright was arrested.