Driving ban for ex-TV star after latest drug case
Embattled ex-TV host Andrew O'Keefe has escaped with a fine and licence suspension after pleading guilty to a drug-driving charge.
The troubled former star appeared at Waverley Local Court on Friday, when he pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of methamphetamine.
The charge was the latest in a growing list of drug- and domestic violence-related offences.
The 53-year-old tested positive for methamphetamine after being pulled over for random testing about 11.30am on July 28 at Bellevue Hill, in eastern Sydney.
O'Keefe's lawyer Jahan Kalantar told the court the TV personality had been in rehabilitation and was co-operating with court orders.
"We accept he has a poor traffic history and has struggled with addictive substances," he said.
"He's taken rehab very seriously."
O'Keefe had been out of the country and returned to Australia for his plea and sentencing.
Magistrate Michael Barko fined him $404 and suspended his licence for six months.
The same court was told in October that O'Keefe would make a genuine attempt to turn his life around if given the opportunity to enter drug rehabilitation rather than face jail time.
He pleaded guilty on that occasion to drug possession, trespassing and breaching a court order, with prosecutors agreeing to withdraw an additional charge of intimidation.
At the time, Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge told O'Keefe if he continued to offend the court may come to the view he was unable to be rehabilitated.
"Your life has just completely gone off the rails," she told O'Keefe.
"The only person that's going to make your life any different is going to be you."
Mr Kalantar previously said O'Keefe was at a crossroads and risked becoming institutionalised if he continued down the wrong path.
The ex-host was on bail in September when he experienced a near-fatal heroin overdose.
He was subsequently arrested and his grey Mercedes was searched, resulting in the discovery of a "clear crystal substance" when he reported to Rose Bay police station.
O'Keefe was a Seven presenter for more than 15 years, most notably hosting game show Deal or No Deal and breakfast program Weekend Sunrise.
He was convicted of domestic violence offences in January and had an appeal on those charges dismissed earlier in September.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gotti grandsons busted for Queens beatdown of reputed mob associate
Two grandsons of the late Gambino crime boss John Gotti were arrested and charged with assaulting a former family friend. Cops said brothers Frankie Gotti, 27, and John Gotti, 31, son of the late crime boss' youngest son, Peter, were arrested after assaulting Gino Gabrielli, who was accused of breaking into a home associated with one of the brothers and stealing $3,300. Gabrielli, an alleged mob associate, was arrested Sunday and charged with burglary, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property after the break-in. Not satisfied with the arrest, the brothers tracked Gabrielli down to his mother's house in Howard Beach and administered a beatdown in front of his own mother, officials said. Frankie and John Gotti were arraigned before Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cullar in Queens Criminal Court early Tuesday evening. They were released on their own recognizance without bail and are scheduled to return to court Aug 7. They said nothing as they left court. In 2015, federal authorities said, Gabrielli accidentally set himself on fire while torching the Mercedes-Benz of a Queens businessman who had stopped making his annual payoffs to an irate mob captain involved in an extortion scheme. The victim's home security video system caught Gabrielli, first seen dousing the year-old car with an accelerant, fleeing the scene with his pants ablaze. Gabrielli pleaded guilty to the arson in August 2016. In 2017, John Gotti, the grandson, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to selling oxycodone pills in New York City. At the time, his lawyer, Gerard Marrone, said his client's name was a blessing and a curse. 'His last name is what his last name is and he's always walking around with a target on his back,' Marrone said. 'It's a double-edge sword, I think sometimes the name is a cross [to bear], but sometimes I think it's a blessing. They're a beautiful family, they're very supportive of him since Day One. They really stick together, the entire family.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
French police officer to go on trial for murder of teenager
PARIS (Reuters) -A French police officer charged with murder in the deadly shooting of a teenager in 2023 that sparked violent protests across the country will go on trial next year, the Nanterre prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. In March, prosecutors requested that one of two officers investigated over the June 27 shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre be put on trial. A charge of complicity in murder against the other officer was dropped. Investigating judges on Tuesday decided the trial of the officer, identified as Florian M, should take place in the Assize Court of the Hauts-de-Seine. Depending on whether there are appeals, the trial could take place in the second or the third quarter 2026, the statement from the Nanterre prosecutor's office said. Neither the policeman's lawyer, nor the lawyer for Nahel's family could be immediately reached for comment. The police officer fired at Nahel after the latter failed to comply with an order to stop his car. The boy, of North African descent, later died from his wounds. A video shared on social media, verified by Reuters, showed two police officers beside the car, a Mercedes-AMG, with one firing his weapon as the driver pulled away. Nahel's death and the video were shared on social media, drawing widespread anger and provoking several nights of unrest in Nanterre and other cities across France.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
A French police officer will stand trial over the killing of a teen that sparked nationwide riots
PARIS (AP) — A French police officer will face trial next year on charges of voluntary homicide over the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent, a death that triggered nationwide riots. The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where victim Nahel Merzouk grew up and was killed in 2023, announced in a statement that magistrates decided Tuesday to send the police officer to trial after a two-year investigation. The officer, identified in legal documents only as Florian M., was initially detained but released a few months later pending further investigation. He is expected to face trial in the third quarter of 2026, the prosecutor's office said. Merzouk's family and lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the announcement. The teenager was shot during a traffic stop in Nanterre. Video showed two officers at the window of the Mercedes the youth was driving, one with his gun pointed at Merzouk. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired once. After the killing, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer's use of his weapon wasn't legally justified. Protests over his killing spread around France and some turned violent, with s tores looted and public buildings torched. Thousands of people were arrested as the government ratcheted up its law enforcement response to quell the unrest, and hundreds of people were injured. In related protests in the overseas territory of French Guiana in South America, a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet. The reaction to the killing was a potent reminder of the persistent poverty, discrimination, unemployment and other lack of opportunity in neighborhoods around France where many residents trace their roots to former French colonies.
