One-time Australian TV game show king Andrew O’Keefe has formally entered pleas of not guilty to assault and choke charges laid after he allegedly attacked a former sex worker.
The 50-year-old appeared dressed in prison greens when he faced Sydney’s Central Local Court on Friday via audiovisual link from the Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre at Silverwater jail.
O’Keefe was hit with six charges in January after police alleged that he grabbed a woman by the throat, punched her and pushed her to the ground.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including intentionally choking a person without consent, three counts of common assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In the weeks after the arrest police laid a further charge after they found O’Keefe with 1.5g of marijuana. He has pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a prohibited drug and is yet to be sentenced.
Through his lawyers, O’Keefe has previously claimed that he was acting in self defence and the victim of an assault himself.
The complainant in his case has not been charged with any offence.
Since his arrest he has been remanded in custody and this week he lost his latest bid for bail in the NSW Supreme Court.
During the bail hearing the crown prosecutor told the coxjmtzywurt the woman and O’Keefe became known to each other when he purchased sex services from her and subsequently developed a friendship.
The court was told that O’Keefe claimed before the alleged assaults that the woman had owed him about $20,000 and was pressuring him to give her more money to further a flower business.
O’Keefe, who the court was told has battled addictions to cocaine and ice, had wanted bail so he could attend a mental health rehabilitation facility for three weeks.
The duration of the rehab stint was deemed to be not long enough and bail was refused.
In the Local Court on Friday and through his lawyer Sharon Ramsden, O’Keefe requested a hearing date for a magistrate to probe the assault and choking allegations.
Magistrate Alison Viney set July 18 as the hearing date.
O’Keefe will also return to court for another hearing in June after he pleaded not guilty to breaching an apprehended violence order put in place to protect a different alleged victim who also cannot be identified for legal reasons.
After a successful 17-year partnership, Channel 7 dumped O’Keefe following a series of public scandals and personal struggles that reportedly impacted production of hit game show The Chase Australia.
Before launching The Chase, O’Keefe fronted Weekend Sunrise, Deal or No Deal, The Rich List and other prime time specials including the Logie Awards.
He was awarded an Order of Australia for his work on television and in the charity space, including as a former ambassador for anti-domestic violence organisation White Ribbon.
