Andrew O’Keefe ‘not the aggressor’ in alleged altercation with partner, lawyer says
Former Channel Seven star Andrew O’Keefe was “not the aggressor” in an alleged altercation with his partner at an apartment in Sydney’s east this week which ended in an assault charge, his lawyer has said.
Mr O’Keefe, 49, the former host of Weekend Sunrise and The Chase Australia, is accused of assaulting his partner Orly Lavee at a Randwick apartment between 11pm and 11.30pm on January 30.
Former Channel Seven star Andrew O’Keefe.Credit:Dominic Loneragan
In a statement, police said they attended the apartment at about 1am following reports a 41-year-old woman had been assaulted.
Mr O’Keefe was arrested about 3.30am and taken to Maroubra police station, where he was charged with common assault and granted bail.
His bail conditions include not approaching or contacting Dr Lavee except through a lawyer.
The case was mentioned at Waverley Local Court for the first time on Thursday. However, Mr O’Keefe did not appear and was represented by his lawyer Claudette Chua.
“I appeared this morning in Mr O’Keefe’s matter. We’ve sought a short adjournment in circumstances where Mr O’Keefe has been unable to give full instructions on such short notice,” Ms Chua said outside court.
“I have had an opportunity to review the facts in the matter and I will say this: Mr O’Keefe was certainly not the aggressor in the situation and Dr Lavee will have a lot to answer for.
“That’s all I can say at this stage.”
In a statement after Mr O’Keefe was charged, Seven said it “has had a 17-year relationship with Andrew across a number of programs, although he is no longer with the network”.
“As this is a police matter before the courts, we cannot comment further,” a spokesperson said.
The case will return to court on February 18.
Georgina Mitchell is a court reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.