Former television presenter Andrew O’Keefe has been denied bail after a court heard a woman he allegedly choked was forced to bite him on the arm in order to free herself.
During a court hearing this afternoon, Mr O’Keefe hung his head and whimpered in the dock as his bail application was refused.
Police allege Mr O’Keefe choked, punched and kicked a woman at his Kent Street apartment on Tuesday afternoon.
He is facing two counts of intentionally choking a person without consent, three counts of common assault, and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
"He also sustained injuries himself," Mr O'Keefe's lawyer Sharon Ramsden told the court.
Ms Ramsden said the woman came to Mr O’Keefe’s house uninvited and her client did not currently have any criminal convictions.
The police prosecutor then told the court that the complainant was only able to break free of Mr O’Keefe by biting him on the arm.
The prosecutor said this was held up by "visible" injuries on Mr O’Keefe.
The courtroom heard this was the third assault Mr O'Keefe had been accused of in recent times.
Two charges were dismissed last year on mental health grounds, and he was out on bail regarding a third charge at the time of this week’s alleged assault.
Magistrate Robert Williams said while Mr O’Keefe’s mental health would be considered, the “likelihood of the custodial sentence and the risk of further offending” led to his decision to refuse bail.
The former long-time Channel Seven presenter was chair of domestic violence charity the White Ribbon Foundation when it was established in 2007.
Mr O'Keefe is no longer an ambassador for the charity, which was relaunched after going into liquidation in 2019.
In 2008, Mr O'Keefe was appointed to the inaugural meeting of the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and Children, an initiative of the Rudd government.
His case will return to court next week.
