- Former TV star greeted police at door
- Tensions rose rapidly
The court released the moment former TV personality Andrew O’Keefe realised he was being arrested for a “violent and degrading” assault, showing the former presenter screaming at police as he was handcuffed.
The former Deal or No Deal host was arrested at a Sydney apartment following allegations he had assaulted a woman and breached an AVO days before his arrest in September 2021.
He has since been sentenced for rape and assault, where he kicked, pushed and spat on a woman, but is currently appealing his criminal convictions.
Footage of the arrest obtained by Nine News shows O’Keefe opening the door while in the middle of an appointment with a psychiatrist.
A clip from the video shows police attempting to arrest O’Keefe, still inside his apartment, and the former attorney yelling: “This is what happens when I don’t have my medication.”
“It’s a simple request. Why are you acting like such fucking Nazis?” he is heard saying as he is handcuffed.
‘Why should I calm down when you’re doing this to me?’
The footage comes after O’Keefe pleaded guilty to a single charge of driving with a suspended licence at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.
Body camera footage shows the dramatic arrest of Andrew O’Keefe in 2021. Image: Nine News
O’Keefe initially appeared upbeat outside court on Tuesday after recording a small judicial victory. But the troubled former TV star cut a sad figure after the cameras stopped rolling.
The traffic violation has no connection to the arrest footage released by the court.
Police charged the 52-year-old man following a routine traffic stop on Victoria Rd in the upmarket Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill at around 1.30pm on June 20.
Representing himself in court, O’Keefe told Judge Michael Allen he was on his way to pick up his license when he was stopped by police that afternoon.
O’Keefe told the court his license had been revoked for failing to complete a driver’s education program he had taken earlier that month.
While admitting the offence was “minor”, Judge Allen told O’Keefe that he was “no stranger to this place in recent times, even if it was for more serious offences”.
“It is serious that at the time of committing this misdemeanor you were subject to probation, and that is a factor I am obliged to take into account,” he said.
Andrew O’Keefe was later convicted of assault and breaching a restraining order. He is appealing the convictions. Photo: Nine News
The former TV presenter was handcuffed in the hallway by New South Wales Police. Photo: Nine News
Judge Allen told the court he accepted O’Keefe’s explanation as “consistent with the reality of the situation” and that his driving was not “inappropriate”.
The judge did not convict O’Keefe of the offence, instead sentencing him to a 12-month conditional discharge order, a form of probation.
Asked outside court if he expected his life to “get better from here,” O’Keefe told reporters he “hoped it would” before saying he would return to court the next day.
This comes as the former Weekend Sunrise presenter faces charges of driving with a suspended licence and intimidation following an unrelated incident last month.
O’Keefe has yet to enter a plea, but will appear in court again on August 28 to learn his fate after appealing a series of domestic violence and drug-related offences.
The former Deal or No Deal star (pictured outside court on Tuesday) is currently appealing his criminal convictions.
The fallen star looked dejected as he paused to rest on a stone bench in a park in Paddington, in the city’s eastern suburbs, after Tuesday’s hearing.
The former Chase Australia presenter, wearing a turquoise checked suit paired with a tie and socks in varying shades of blue, wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.
The fallen star took a sip of fizzy Lucozade as he looked into the distance.
At one point he seemed to spit dejectedly on the grass at his feet.
It was a far cry from his heights as host of shows like Weekend Sunrise and The Rich List.
