Fallen TV star Andrew O’Keefe’s fame could make him “vulnerable” inside prison with inmates possibly targeting him for personal gain, according to an expert.
O’Keefe is behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sydney’s notorious Silverwater jail after he was charged with bail jumping and drug possession when police allegedly found methamphetamine in his car on September 16 when he lodged at Rose Bay police station in Sydney as part of an earlier investigation. bail conditions.
The 52-year-old had survived a heroin overdose just two days earlier when paramedics revived him at a house in Vaucluse in the early hours of Saturday morning and treated him at St Vincent’s Hospital.
The father-of-three will remain behind bars until at least October 10, when he will appear in court on the drugs charge, as well as recent charges of intimidation and breach of the AVO.
His lawyer indicated he could use that hearing to make an application for release subject to the availability of a rehabilitation facility, but Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge responded that he had “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, earning up to $800,000 a year until his contract expired and a series of subsequent legal problems derailed his career.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal the 52-year-old’s celebrity status has not afforded him any special luxuries or privileges.
Instead, he has become a constant target of cruel ridicule from other accused criminals who call the facility home, with prison experts revealing that inmates take every opportunity to mock the former Deal or No Deal host about his tragic fall.
Fallen TV star Andrew O’Keefe’s fame could make him “vulnerable” inside prison to other inmates who would attack him for personal gain, according to an expert. (O’Keefe appears in his Sydney apartment in 2023)
Sources said one group of inmates were particularly ruthless, crossing their arms in front of their faces whenever they saw O’Keefe in the prison yard while shouting ‘No deal!’ him.
Despite the ongoing harassment, O’Keefe has not made any formal complaints about his treatment within the facility, 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 facility, from the general population or offer him protective custody.
The last time he was in pretrial detention two years ago, O’Keefe claimed that prison guards mocked him for his fall from grace, only for the guards to accuse the one-time lawyer of being a “cousin.” demanding donna.”
But this time there’s not as much animosity between O’Keefe and his guards, and the guards noted that the former TV host was much more demure about his tragic passing.
“The last time he was here he was talkative, bossy and arrogant,” a Silverwater prison source told Daily Mail Australia.
‘This time, he is very quiet and keeps to himself.
“We haven’t had any problems with him; it’s actually a little sad to see him like this.”
Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said O’Keefe’s celebrity could be a disadvantage for him in custody.
“I’ve had high-profile clients over the years, white-collar criminals, who are seen as easy targets… seen by people as having money and that makes them quite vulnerable,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Andrew O’Keefe during his stint as host of the hit game show Deal or No Deal
Dr Watson-Munro said the behavior of other prisoners towards O’Keefe would depend on the impression he gave but, being well known, he would find it difficult to keep a low profile.
“How people are treated in prison depends on the individual and the nature of their crime,” he said.
‘Prisons are full of men who have violated AVOs… Some newly imprisoned people could end up in protective custody… others have long-standing criminal acquaintances.
“Having fame would make him a target, without a doubt.
“Prisoners could try to stay with people where they can see there is a benefit to themselves, whether financial, social or political.”
In a notable recent example, former NRL player Jarryd Hayne was allegedly scammed out of $780,000 by a fellow inmate while behind bars.
Fraudster Ishan Seenar Sappideen, serving time for a $4.6 million Ponzi scheme, convinced Hayne and five other prisoners that he had made millions of dollars by investing.
Since prisoners did not have online access, people outside the prison were said to transfer the funds directly to accounts controlled by Sappideen contacts.
Sappideen was released early last month with conditions so he could be monitored; some of those he is said to have defrauded had links to motorcycle gangs and criminal networks.
Fallen Channel Seven star Andrew O’Keefe was arrested on September 16 for allegedly breaching bail after turning up at a Sydney police station (above)
O’Keefe’s contract with the Seven Network expired in 2020 and was not renewed amid industry concerns that his wild parties were getting out of control.
He had suffered a marriage breakdown and a couple of years earlier he had been removed from his duties at Weekend Sunrise.
His legal troubles since leaving Seven have included multiple drug possession and drug-driving charges.
Last week, O’Keefe lost an appeal against domestic violence convictions after a judge disagreed that the victim’s injuries were self-inflicted.
O’Keefe 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 through 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, until recently he had avoided any serious stay behind bars.
Judge Milledge said O’Keefe’s fall was “very, very sad” and that he was lucky to be alive after his overdose.
He added that jail might be “the best thing he can do… if he wants to stay alive.”
‘Mental health apps and rehabs have all been tried and failed.
“God help him… It’s a shame he doesn’t have an epiphany,” he said.
O’Keefe’s spartan prison cell includes a metal bunk bed, an open steel toilet, a jug, and a sandwich maker, but little else.
He is taken out of bed at 7am every day to “let him go”, when he is given a prison “breakfast pack” which includes milk, bread, cereal and jam and then he is free to roam around the yard or Watch shared television in the common area. room with the center’s other accused criminals.
The former star is allowed to exercise in the prison yard every day before being locked in his cell between 3pm and 7am
The 52-year-old is currently sharing a cell at the Silverwater Prison remand center in Sydney.
There are roll calls at 9 a.m. and noon, when O’Keefe and his classmates receive their “lunch packet,” which usually consists of a sandwich and a piece of fruit.
All meals are eaten in the inmates’ cells before they are locked up for the day starting at 3:00 pm and they are not allowed to leave again until the next morning.
His dinner is heated with a cold pack and also delivered at 3 pm. It is the only hot meal O’Keefe eats during the day.
During his long nights caged with his cellmate, O’Keefe has access to a tablet on which he can pay to watch television or play card games such as solitaire, but he is not allowed to access the Internet.
Although you are allowed to purchase additional treats and food, you are limited to spending a total of $150 in the prison store each month.
