Australia’s former television personality Andrew O’Keefe was arrested on Monday for violating his bail conditions after being revived by paramedics for overdosing on drugs. O’Keefe was taken to Waverley Police Station, where he is expected to face formal charges, according to Sydney Morning Herald.
On Saturday morning, emergency services responded to a concern-for-welfare report from a neighbor and found O’Keefe in need of medical assistance due to an overdose.”NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance to the man before taking him to St Vincent’s Hospital where he is reported to be in a stable condition,” NSW Police stated.
Last week, O’Keefe lost an appeal against his convictions for domestic violence. The judge found that he had a tendency to spit at the woman in a “low, demeaning act” and that her injuries were consistent with being kicked, pushed, and scratched.
In January, a magistrate had found the former TV host guilty of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and breaching an apprehended violence order following a “violent and degrading” incident against the woman in a Sydney unit in September 2021.
Judge John Pickering stated that O’Keefe’s behavior during his arrest, which was captured on police body-worn footage and released by the court, was “utterly irrelevant” to the consideration of his appeal, as he had been acquitted of resisting arrest by the magistrate.
The footage showed O’Keefe screaming at police officers, shouting, “This is what happens when I don’t have my medication,” after being informed of the charges against him.