Andrew O’Keefe has failed to convince a court that a woman lied about being assaulted by him, with a judge ruling the former game show host had a tendency to spit at her during arguments.
District Court Judge John Pickering on Monday upheld O’Keefe’s convictions for domestic violence assault, after rejecting her lawyers’ arguments that the woman had inflicted scratch marks on her own arm and then blamed O’Keefe.
However, the judge dismissed other drug possession charges after finding that items found in a safe in O’Keefe’s apartment could not be proven to belong to him.
The troubled former Seven Network presenter was found guilty in January of three counts of domestic violence-related assault, twice breaching a restraining order against him and two counts of possession of a prohibited drug.
He was ordered to serve 18 months in community confinement, which involves supervision and reporting requirements, and was fined $800 for the drug offenses.
O’Keefe previously presented Weekend Sunrise, the Today show and several game shows including The Chase until his contract with the Seven Network expired at the end of 2020, when he was replaced by Larry Emdur.
During an assault in September 2021, O’Keefe was found to have pushed the woman into a door, hit her with the heel of his hand and forced her to the ground, before kicking her in the thigh and using his nails to scratch her chest.
However, O’Keefe’s barrister Phillip Boulten SC said the woman’s claim that she had scratched her hand on a hinge after being pushed through the door was not supported by physical evidence.
Andrew O’Keefe failed to overturn his domestic violence convictions on Monday
The former morning game show and television host has been fighting a series of domestic violence and drug charges.
Mr Boulten said that if the woman was found to be untruthful about the scratch marks on her arm, her evidence should not be accepted in its entirety.
Judge Pickering told the court he saw no reason for the woman to lie about the assault and noted that at the time she had indicated she did not want to make a complaint to the police.
“In her communication with the police it was clear that she really did not want the police to get involved in this,” he said.
‘I do not see what benefit the plaintiff obtained.
“I am convinced that the complainant was a truthful witness regarding this incident.”
As the sentence was read in court, O’Keefe shook his head in frustrated disagreement and passed written notes to his lawyer.
O’Keefe admitted the argument occurred, but maintains he accidentally fell on top of the woman due to his proximity rather than pushing her.
The woman alleged that after she fell, O’Keefe told her: “Good performance, I barely touched you.”
Judge Pickering found that in initially sentencing O’Keefe, the court could use an earlier incident in January 2021, in which O’Keefe admitted spitting in the same woman’s eye, to help establish who was telling the truth.
“Most men in our community don’t act this way,” he said.