Court grants bail to World Cup final pitch intruder

NEW DELHI: A court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Tuesday granted bail to an Australian man named Wen Johnson, who was arrested for intruding onto the pitch during the ICC World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
Johnson, wearing a pro-Palestine T-shirt, had managed to breach security and reach the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium during the final match between India and Australia.
The court released Johnson on bail with the condition that he would cooperate in the investigation and deposit his passport. He had been remanded in police custody for a day prior to the court appearance.
Charged with criminal trespass and causing harm to deter public servants from performing their duty, Johnson was apprehended by security personnel after attempting to approach Virat Kohli on the field.
He entered the stadium as a regular spectator, jumped the railing, and pushed aside policemen in an attempt to hug Kohli.
Wearing a face mask with the design of a Palestine flag and a T-shirt with slogans advocating for Palestine, Johnson stated to the police that he entered the ground as a big fan of Virat Kohli.
A preliminary investigation revealed that Johnson is a habitual offender and has faced similar charges for invading sports fields in his home country in the past.
(With PTI inputs)