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Privacy NoticeA TV star avoided prison time after a damning assault trial verdict involving kicking and spitting at a woman – during what was described as a “frightening and degrading” incident. Fifty three year old Andrew O’Keefe, a former host of popular Australian TV shows including The Chase – where he starred alongside UK favourites The Governess and The Beast – was found guilty of a list of charges back in January of this year. They included common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, alongside drug possession and violating an Apprehended Violence Order. The embattled star had originally admitted to the AVO-related charge – a court order designed to protect someone from violence, harassment, intimidation or other forms of threatening behaviour – but was in court over the others during a three-day trial in 2023. Andrew, who also presented Dragons Den and Deal Or No Deal in Australia, has since had another brush with the law, after being allegedly caught driving while on a suspended licence. He is said to have been spotted behind the wheel of a car in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill on June 20.
Andrew presented The Chase, Dragons Den and Deal Or No Deal in Australia
(Image: Getty Images)
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In the assault trial, the magistrate at Sydney Downing Centre Local Court declared him guilty of assaulting and spitting at a woman – who can’t be named for legal reasons – in a dispute back in September 2021. The court heard that he forcefully pushed her against a doorway, causing injuries to her hand and wrist. He then attacked the woman, kicking her hard in the thigh which resulted in her falling to the ground. The former star defended himself in court, suggesting that the woman’s injuries were self-inflicted. But the magistrate went on to condemn the defendant’s actions. She said: “You treated (the woman) … with disrespect. Your actions were violent and degrading. You placed her in a position of fear, not only for herself but for her children in their own home.
He was ordered to serve 18 months on a community corrections order for the domestic violence offences
(Image: Getty Images)
Andrew was ordered to serve 18 months on a community corrections order for the domestic violence offences. The court was told he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar affective disorder, for which he requires daily medication. He was also found guilty of being in possession of two illegal drugs, which were found in his apartment when he was arrested two days after the assault. He was convicted and fined $800. Andrew rose to fame in 2003 on Australia’s Channel Seven, presenting a show called Big Bite. The same year he took on presenting Deal Or No Deal – a gig that lasted 10 years. The also hosted a weekend breakfast show, Weekend Sunrise, for 12 years, played King Herod in the Australian tour of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and presented The Chase Australia in 2015. He separated from his wife in 2017 and their divorce was confirmed two years later.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnThe ChaseDeal or No DealDragons Den
