Channel Seven TV star Andrew O’Keefe in Sydney court to face charges of assaulting business partner

Disgraced Channel Seven star Andrew O’Keefe has been thrown in a cell awaiting trial after he was refused bail over an alleged attack on a woman in his city centre flat on Tuesday.

O’Keefe claimed he had been acting in self defence during the alleged melee – but the court was told his victim had to bite his arm to try to break free during the apparent struggle.

The fallen star – appearing via video link at Sydney’s Central Local Court – sighed and groaned as he heard he would be kept behind bars awaiting trial.

He was warned he could face a lengthy custodial sentence if found guilty of the charges against him.

Andrew O’Keefe’s alleged victim had to bite his hand to escape, prosecutors told a bail hearing at Central Local Court on Friday 

O’Keefe was hauled away kicking and screaming in a police paddy wagon on Thursday after he was charged with choking and assaulting a woman at his city centre bachelor pad. 

NSW Police allege the 50-year-old, a former White Ribbon ambassador, attacked the 38-year-old woman – described as a business partner – on Tuesday after meeting her at his unit on Kent Street in Sydney’s CBD. 

He faced Sydney’s Central Court on Friday but his appearance was delayed so his mental health could be assessed by magistrate Robert Williams and his personal psychiatrist, Dr Michael Atherton.

He eventually appeared  handcuffs by video link from Surry Hills Police station where he had been held in a cell overnight.

Wearing glasses, with cropped very short grey hair, he sighed loudly repeatedly on the court video link and stared intently at his screen as he waited for proceedings to get underway.

When asked if he could hear the court, he answered: ‘I can, your honour, thank you.’

The court was initially closed to the media to protect the identity of the woman allegedly assaulted as details of the case were heard and he applied for bail.

When the hearing resumed in public, O’Keefe’s lawyer Sharon Ramsden asked for the fallen star to be freed on bail to go into residential  psychiatric care next week.

She said O’Keefe had suffered injuries in the alleged incident and would be claiming self defence when the case went to trial.

But the prosecution warned O’Keefe could be facing a lengthy jail term if convicted and dismissed the claims of self-defence.

‘The only way she was able to break free was to bite the arm of the accused,’ said police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Manning. 

‘The incident went on for a significant period of time.’

O’Keefe was wearing the same bright red trousers and grey zipped sweatshirt that he was seen wearing in the back of the paddy wagon the previous day, but appeared far calmer.

He groaned and signed repeatedly throughout the hearing, and frequently interjected as evidence was heard against him.

The court heard he is already facing assault charges dating back to June last year and was out on bail at the time of the latest alleged offences. 

O’Keefe was said to be suffering a catalogue of mental health issues, including methamphetamine use disorder, severe historical addiction issues which were said to be in remission, mood disturbance, substance abuse disorders and post traumatic stress disorder.

HIs bid to be released on bail into residential psychiatric care was undermined by a lack of aavilable places for him at a Sydney clinic, the court was told.

Police have now applied for a provisional apprehended violence order, which would see him barred from approaching, assaulting, threatening, stalking, harassing or intimidating the woman in any way.  

O’Keefe was refused bail on Thursday afternoon and taken away to a police cell, with Daily Mail Australia capturing confronting footage of the handcuffed star shouting obscenities and kicking the walls of a police van, telling officers to ‘get rid of the journalists’.

‘F*** you, I’m a victim of crime. I’m a victim of crime you f***wits. F*** off,’ he screamed as he repeatedly kicked the windows of the vehicle’s cell.

‘Get rid of these journalists you stupid c***s. F*** you.’   

O’Keefe was led away in a police station wagon violently kicking and screaming he is a ‘victim of crime’ on Thursday afternoon (pictured)

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and grey long sleeve t-shirt, O’Keefe shouted obscenities and kicked the windows of the paddy wagon 

O’Keefe is pictured in June 2021. He was charged over the incident on Sydney’s Kent Street and bail refused ahead of a court appearence on Friday

Police will allege O’Keefe had invited the woman over to his apartment in Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday afternoon to have a business discussion before the meeting turned violent. 

‘A verbal argument ensued between the pair, before the man allegedly assaulted the woman – grabbing her by the throat, pushing her to the ground and punching her,’ a police spokesman said.

O’Keefe then allegedly assaulted the woman a second time by punching and kicking her.

The woman then left the unit and reported the alleged assault on Wednesday, police said. 

On Thursday afternoon police confirmed they had charged O’Keefe with two counts of intentionally choking a person without consent, three counts of common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

His AVO hearing will will be heard at Downing Centre Local Court on February 2. 

‘F*** you, I’m a victim of crime. I’m a victim of crime you f***wits. F*** off,’ the TV star screamed as he repeatedly kicked the windows of the vehicle’s cell

Pictured: Day Street police station in the Sydney CBD, where O’Keefe was taken after his early-morning arrest on Thursday

O’Keefe was arrested at his unit about 4.30am on Thursday and was held at Day Street police station in the CBD.  

Over a 17-year career with Seven, O’Keefe hosted Weekend Sunrise and game shows The Chase and Deal or No Deal – but was axed by the network last January.

When Daily Mail Australia approached O’Keefe last year and asked if his television career was over, he said: ‘I’m not sure if I’m over, or if TV’s over’. 

O’Keefe was arrested by police at 4.30am on Thursday and taken to Day Street police station

Andrew O’Keefe is pictured outside his unit in Paddington in Sydney’s inner-city in February 2021

The widely-recognised media personality and father-of-three was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to television in 2017. 

His uncle was the legendary rock star Johnny O’Keefe, while the 50-year-old’s father Barry was a NSW Supreme Court justice. 

In May of last year, the TV star auctioned off his Paddington apartment – which was listed on the market with an approximate value of $1.4 million.

The property ended up selling at auction for $731,000 on May 15, 2021, according to its Domain listing. 

The Art Deco flat boasted two bedrooms, and a recently renovated bathroom. 

O’Keefe and his wife Eleanor divorced in 2019. He made headlines that year for swatting a photographer away with a folder.  

O’Keefe pictured in June 2021. He hosted Weekend Sunrise and The Chase during his 17-year career as a TV host with Channel Seven

O’Keefe divorced his wife Eleanor in 2019 (pictured at a red carpet event together several years ago)

In December 2017 – the year he separated from his wife – O’Keefe announced he had quit Weekend Sunrise to focus on his family. 

He said in an official Seven statement ‘it was time to give the weekends back’ to Eleanor and their three children. 

A former intellectual property lawyer, he was famously pictured kissing a mystery brunette during a night out in Hobart, Tasmania in 2018.

Video of the newly-separated TV personality kissing the unknown woman was published in September of that year by Woman’s Day.

Andrew O’Keefe’s uncle was the legendary rock star Johnny O’Keefe (pictured above)

O’Keefe was famously filmed kissing a mystery brunette woman during a night out in Hobart, Tasmania in 2018. A friend captioned the image as ‘deal or no deal’

The magazine reported the footage was filmed while O’Keefe was ‘partying for 48 hours’. 

An unnamed 21-year-old university student, who was alleged to be the woman in the video, was also quoted in the publication. 

Describing what happened before the kiss, she said: ‘I went over to say ‘hi’ to some friends [O’Keefe] was sitting with, and I put my arm around him for a photo.’ 

The video’s caption read, ‘Deal or no deal?’, a reference to the game show Andrew hosted between 2003 and 2013 on Seven.  

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