Disgraced former TV host Andrew O’Keefe will fight an allegation he intimidated a man in Sydney’s glitzy eastern suburbs on mental health grounds, a court has been told. The former Deal or No Deal host pleaded not guilty at Waverley Local Court on Thursday to intimidation, entering enclosed lands without permission and breaching an AVO. Police allege the 52-year-old threatened a man at a Point Piper address shortly before he was stopped while driving and allegedly found in possession of a crack pipe.
The court was previously told Mr O’Keefe allegedly confronted the man “potentially as a matter of jealousy” and put one foot through the door knowing he was not allowed there. Lawyer Jahan Kalantar told the court there had been “fruitful discussions” with police and there would be an application to have the matters dealt with on mental health grounds. “We foreshadow a Section 14 application in the future, but I have not yet engaged the relevant experts given my client’s history,” Mr Kalantar told the court on Thursday.
Under Section 14 of the Mental Health Act, a magistrate may seek to have charges dismissed if a person is found to suffer from mental health or a cognitive impairment. The magistrate on Thursday warned Mr Kalantar that Mr O’Keefe’s has “a history that might work against him”, before agreeing to have the matters adjourned until October. Mr O’Keefe, a former White Ribbon ambassador, also awaits judgment in a high-profile bid to overturn .