Andrew O’Keefe faces big problem in jail

Fallen TV star Andrew O’Keefe’s fame could make him ‘vulnerable’ inside jail with inmates possibly targetting him for their personal gain, according to an expert.  

O’Keefe is behind bars at the Metropolitan Remand Centre at Sydney’s notorious Silverwater jail after he was charged with breaching bail and drug possession when police allegedly found methamphetamine in his car on September 16 as he reported to Sydney’s Rose Bay police station as part of previous bail conditions.

The 52-year-old had just two days earlier survived a heroin overdose when he was revived by paramedics at a home in Vaucluse in the early hours of Saturday morning and treated at St Vincent’s Hospital. 

The father-of-three will remain behind bars until at least October 10 when he is set to front court on the drug charge as well as recent intimidation and AVO breach charges.

His lawyer indicated he might use that hearing to make an application for release subject to the availability of a rehabilitation spot, but Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge replied that he’d already ‘been there, done that’.

O’Keefe was one of Channel 7’s biggest stars as host of Deal or No Deal, Weekend Sunrise and The Chase Australia and was earning up to $800,000 a year until his contract expired and a subsequent string of legal troubles derailed his career.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the 52-year-old’s celebrity status has afforded him no luxuries nor special privileges.

Instead he has become a constant target of cruel taunts from the other accused criminals who call the centre home, with prison insiders revealing inmates take every opportunity to mock the former Deal or No Deal host about his tragic downfall. 

Sources said one group of inmates was particularly merciless and crossed their arms in front of their faces every time they spotted O’Keefe in the prison yard while shouting ‘No Deal!’ at him. 

Despite the ongoing bullying, O’Keefe has not made any formal complaints about his treatment inside the centre, preferring to keep a low profile and to himself as much as possible.

Prison officials have not deemed the heckling serious enough to segregate the fallen Channel Seven star, who has been sharing a two-bed cell with another inmate at the centre, from the general population or offer him protective custody.

When he was last at the remand centre two years ago, O’Keefe claimed the prison guards teased him about his fall from grace, only for the guards to accuse the one-time lawyer of being a ‘demanding prima donna’.

But this time there is no such animosity between O’Keefe and his keepers, with the guards noting the former TV presenter was far more demure about his tragic demise.

‘Last time he was here, he was mouthy, entitled and arrogant,’ one prison source inside Silverwater told Daily Mail Australia.

‘This time, he’s just really quiet and sticks to himself.

‘We haven’t had any issues with him – it’s actually a bit sad seeing him like this.’

Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said that O’Keefe’s celebrity could be a disadvantage to him in custody. 

‘I’ve had high profile clients over the years, white collar criminals, who are seen as easy marks… seen by people to have money and that makes them quite vulnerable,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

Andrew O’Keefe during his stint as host of successful game show Deal or No Deal

Dr Watson-Munro said how other prisoners behaved towards O’Keefe would depend on the impression he makes but, being well known, it would be difficult for him to keep a low profile.

‘How people are treated in jail depends on the individual and the nature of their crime,’ he said.

‘Jails are full of men who have breached AVOs… Some newly incarcerated people might end up in protective custody… others have long standing criminal acquaintances.

‘Having fame would make him a bit of a target, certainly.

‘Prisoners might attempt to stand over people where they can see there’s a benefit for themselves – whether that’s financial, social or political.’

In one notable recent example, former NRL player Jarryd Hayne was reportedly conned out of $780,000 by a fellow inmate while he was behind bars.

Fast-talking fraudster Ishan Seenar Sappideen – who was serving a sentence over a $4.6million Ponzi scheme – convinced Hayne and five other prisoners he had made millions of dollars investing. 

With prisoners not having online access, the funds were said to be transferred by people outside of jail directly into accounts controlled by contacts of Sappideen.

Sappideen was released slightly early last month with conditions so that he could be monitored – with some of those he is said to have ripped off having links to bikie gangs and crime networks.  

Fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O’Keefe has been arrested on September 16 for allegedly breaching his bail after presenting himself to a Sydney police station (above)

O’Keefe’s contract with the Seven Network expired in 2020 and was not renewed amid industry concern his wild partying was out-of-control.

He had suffered a marriage breakdown and been taken off Weekend Sunrise duties a couple of years earlier. 

His legal troubles since leaving Seven have included multiple charges of possessing drugs or driving while drug affected.

Just last week, O’Keefe lost an appeal against domestic violence convictions after a judge disagreed the victim’s injuries were self-inflicted.

O’Keefe had pushed a woman, punched her, forced her to the ground, kicked her in the thigh and scratched her chest during an argument in 2021.

He was found guilty of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and contravening an apprehended violence order.

O’Keefe was then seen walking out the rear exit of the station accompanied by three officers wearing latex gloves who took him away in the back of a police car

Despite the conviction he had until recently avoided any serious stint behind bars.

Judge Milledge said O’Keefe’s downfall was ‘very, very sad’ and that he was fortunate to be alive following his overdose. 

She added that jail could be ‘the best thing he can do… if he wants to stay alive.

‘The mental health applications and rehabs, they’ve all been tried and tested and failed.

‘God help him… It’s a shame he doesn’t have an epiphany,’ she said.

O’Keefe’s spartan prison cell includes a metal bunk, open steel toilet, jug and sandwich maker – but little else.

He is bustled out of bed at 7am each day for ‘let go’ – when he is given a prison ‘breakfast pack’ comprising milk, bread, cereal and jam and is then free to roam the yard or watch a shared TV in the common room with the centre’s other accused criminals.

The former star is allowed to exercise in the prison yard each the day before being locked away in his cell between 3pm and 7am 

The 52-year-old is currently sharing a cell in Silverwater prison’s remand centre in Sydney

There are roll calls at 9am and midday, when O’Keefe and his cohorts are given their ‘lunch pack’, usually consisting of a sandwich and a piece of fruit.

All meals are eaten in the inmates’ cells before they are locked away for the day from 3pm and not allowed out again until the following morning.

His dinner is heated up from a chill pack and also given to him at 3pm. It is the only hot meal O’Keefe eats during the day.

During his long nights caged in with his cellmate, O’Keefe has access to a tablet computer on which he can pay to watch TV or play card games such as solitaire but he is not permitted to access the internet.

Although he is allowed to purchase treats and additional groceries, he is limited to spending a total of $150 at the prison store each month.