Former Deal or No Deal host Andrew O’Keefe was spotted behind the wheel of his luxury Mercedes-Benz in Sydney just days after allegedly driving while on drugs.
The 52-year-old – once one of Channel 7’s brightest stars – stopped at Rose Bay café Oak Berry for a smoothie on Saturday afternoon before he was seen climbing in the driver’s seat of his car, wiping his nose and driving away down New South Head Rd.
O’Keefe looked clean-shaven and snappily dressed in a navy sweater, cream chinos and sneakers – a far cry from his disheveled appearance at Waverley Local Court court a week ago when he was granted bail over a DUI arrest after spending a night in police custody.
The former Weekend Sunrise host is accused of returning a positive drug test after he was stopped shortly before midday last Sunday in Sydney’s affluent Bellevue Hill.
That arrest followed O’Keefe getting issued a court attendance notice for the offence of drive while suspended on June 20, after a separate vehicle stop in Bellevue Hill.
In January, he was also convicted on a domestic violence charge dating back to September 2021 when he kicked and spat at a woman.
He was found guilty of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and contravening an apprehended violence order.
However, he avoided jail time and was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order and three 18-month community corrections orders for the domestic violence offences.
Former Weekend Sunrise and Deal or No Deal host Andrew O’Keefe was spotted in Sydney’s Rose Bay on Saturday days after he spent the night in a cell following a DUI arrest
The 52-year-old looked clean shaven as he stopped at Acai bar Oak Berry for a smoothie
O’Keefe’s latest arrest occurred when officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command allegedly stopped him at 11.45am last Sunday where he was found behind the wheel of a Mercedes sedan on Cranbrook Road in Bellevue Hill.
Police allege he returned a positive roadside drug test and had threatened a man at an address on Longworth Ave in the neighbouring suburb of Point Piper ‘a short time’ before he was stopped by officers.
He was taken to Waverley Police Station for secondary oral fluid testing which allegedly returned a positive result. The sample has been sent for analysis.
Following inquiries O’Keefe was charged with contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm.
Appearing before court on Monday, O’Keefe allegedly confronted the man ‘potentially as a matter of jealousy’ following a ‘rekindling’ with his former partner.
‘It’s certainly not been a situation where just turned up at the door and knocked on the door to say hello, there has been this aggression,’ the police prosecutor told the court.
The prosecutor said O’Keefe knew he was ‘not supposed to be’ at the property and that he had made admissions to police about putting ‘one foot through the door’.
He alleged O’Keefe had appeared drug-affected to police and when asked about a crack pipe in his pocket told them the jacket ‘was worn by another person’ and did not belong to him.
O’Keefe has been charged with contravening an AVO over a visit to a Point Piper property last weekend
O’Keefe has been given a notice to appear in court over his latest charges
While Ms Ramsden told the court the ‘allegations were denied’, she admitted O’Keefe had made admissions to police because he was worried the home was being burgled.
‘He is able to go to the property, but he cannot enter. He was having lunch with her (the ex-partner) later that day. He got to the property and he saw the door ajar,’ she said.
‘She (the ex-partner) is not home and there is no threat to her and there is no statement from her, which is important in assessing the prosecution case’.
Ms Ramsden said O’Keefe visited the home and after an initial conversation returned, at which point the man told him: ‘If you don’t leave it’s going to be very bad for you.’
She told the court the former TV host took the statement as a threat and that there was ‘nothing to support’ claims he had been arguing with someone on the phone.
At the height of his fame he was one of the Seven Network’s hottest properties
A disheveled O’Keefe leaving Waverley Local Court last weekend after he was granted bail
In support of the bail application, Ms Ramsden said O’Keefe would provide daily urine samples for drugs and that his sister would provide a $1000 surety to the court.
For his part, the prosecutor was opposed to O’Keefe’s release, claiming he was a ‘danger to the community’ due to his alleged drug driving and while suspended.
O’Keefe was ultimately granted bail despite the magistrate telling the 52-year-old there were ‘a lot of aspects of the police facts that are of concern’.
‘There is a real concern you were somewhere you shouldn’t have been and that drugs might still be a factor in your life, but I’m prepared to give you an opportunity to continue with your treatment,’ she said.
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