Court

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Cape Town - British journalist Simon Wright appeared in Cape Town's special World Cup Court on Wednesday.

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

Magistrate Grant Engel postponed the case to July 7.

He extended Wright's bail of R3000.

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

Police arrested Wright, who works for the Sunday Mirror, on Monday in connection with what they said was a security breach in the England soccer team's dressing room.

They said he had been charged with defeating the ends of justice and contravening the Immigration Act.

He was allegedly linked to the incident where Londoner Pavlos Joseph entered the English team's dressing room in Cape Town after a match on June 18.

Fan's charges withdrawn

Joseph was released after paying a R750 admission of guilt fine.

His advocate Craig Webster told the magistrate that Joseph's legal team had made representations to the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

These representations had been successful in that the DPP had agreed to allow him to pay an admission of guilt fine.

Joseph had paid the R750 on Tuesday for a contravention of section 6, sub section 1 of the FIFA Act, being in a designated area without an accreditation card for that area.

He asked that the "charges" against Joseph be withdrawn in his absence.

The magistrate agreed.

Joseph was not in court on Wednesday.