Despite prosecutors’ claims that troubled former TV host Andrew O’Keefe would be a risk to the community after reportedly threatening a man, O’Keefe has been released from detention.
The 52-year-old former host of Seven Network was taken into custody yesterday while he was travelling through the eastern suburbs of Sydney after he allegedly tested positive for narcotics at a roadside testing station.
A short while ago, O’Keefe, who was convicted guilty of offences linked to domestic violence in January but was spared jail time, was alleged to have threatened a man at a residence in the affluent Point Piper district.
He was later accused of threatening or stalking the individual and breaking an order against apprehended violence.
After being detained for the entire night, O’Keefe was given conditional bail in Waverley Local Court today when a magistrate was informed that he had just entered the home of the claimed victim.
He would contest the charges, his attorney Sharon Ramsden told the court, characterising the case as a “one-on-one” affair.
She claimed that O’Keefe had “one foot in the door” and that there were worries that a burglar might be inside when he arrived at the home.
The’s how serious the breach was, according to Ramsden.
Her client was not upset or furious at the moment, she said; rather, the individual who had filed a complaint against O’Keefe had been the one who had been threatening.
Paul Henningham, the police prosecutor, objected to O’Keefe’s release on bond, citing his history of domestic abuse and potential threat to public safety.
Sergeant Henningham stated that O’Keefe, who went to a location he knew he shouldn’t have while under court orders, had a strong case against him.
Regarding allegations that there might have been an intruder at the house, Sgt.
Henningham described the situation as “an extraordinary set of circumstances”.
At the time of his arrest, O’Keefe’s eyes were blurry and bloodshot from drugs, according to the prosecution.
Additionally, it is said that an ice pipe was discovered inside the jacket he was wearing.
O’Keefe was operating a vehicle on a suspended licence at the time, and subsequent testing revealed a positive result for the drug methamphetamine in his system, according to Sgt. Henningham.
Bail was granted by Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge on the requirements that O’Keefe submit to daily urine testing, report to police three times a week, and abstain from narcotics and alcohol.
In order to secure his release, his sister, who was present in the public gallery of the court to support her sibling, also had to give a $1000 surety.
This afternoon, O’Keefe left the nearby Waverley police station while holding a few belongings and court paperwork.
The accusations represent O’Keefe, a former Deal or No Deal host who has recently battled drug addiction and mental health challenges, with his most recent court setback.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to appear in the District Court to file an appeal against his prior drug possession and domestic violence convictions.
On August 14, O’Keefe is expected back in court about the new accusations.
