September 9th 2024.
Andrew O'Keefe recently faced a court case where he was accused of assaulting a woman. Despite his efforts, the court did not believe his claims that the woman was lying about the incident. Judge John Pickering, who presided over the case, found that O'Keefe had a history of spitting at the woman during arguments, leading to his convictions for domestic violence assault.
The judge's decision also upheld O'Keefe's other convictions for contravening an AVO and drug possession. However, the judge did overturn some charges related to drug possession, as there was not enough evidence to prove that the items found in O'Keefe's apartment belonged to him.
O'Keefe, a former host for the Seven Network, was convicted earlier this year for assaulting the woman, contravening the AVO, and drug possession. He was sentenced to 18 months on a community corrections order and fined $800 for the drug charges.
During the incident in question, which occurred in September 2021, O'Keefe pushed the woman into a doorway, punched her with the heel of his hand, and forced her to the ground. He then proceeded to kick her in the thigh and scratch her chest with his nails. However, O'Keefe's barrister, Phillip Boulten SC, argued that the woman had inflicted the scratch marks on herself and later blamed O'Keefe. The judge, however, did not find this argument convincing and concluded that the woman's testimony was truthful.
The judge also noted that the woman had initially expressed hesitation in making a complaint to the police. He questioned the motive behind her lying about the incident, stating, "I do not see what benefit there was to the complainant. I am satisfied the complainant was a truthful witness about this incident."
As the judge read out his decision, O'Keefe showed signs of frustration and passed notes to his lawyer. He had previously admitted to the argument with the woman but maintained that he accidentally fell into her due to their close proximity, rather than intentionally pushing her. The woman claimed that after she fell, O'Keefe had insultingly remarked, "Nice acting, I barely touched you." The judge found that the court could consider an earlier incident in January 2021, where O'Keefe had admitted to spitting in the woman's eye, as evidence to support the woman's testimony.
In his concluding remarks, Judge Pickering emphasized that such behavior is not acceptable in our society. He said, "The majority of males in our community do not act in this fashion." He also reminded the public that support is available for those who have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence, through the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT.
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