Andrew O’Keefe opens up about drug charge
Former TV presenter Andrew O’Keefe will fight allegations that he drove with methamphetamine in his system, challenging the reliability of saliva testing, a court has been told.
O’Keefe, 51, returned to court and entered a not guilty plea after allegedly failing a roadside breath test.
The 51-year-old was driving his grey Mercedes C200 through Sydney’s Point Piper, when he was pulled over by police on January 20, 2023.
He underwent a random roadside breath test not long after midnight, which returned a positive result for methamphetamine, according to police.
O’Keefe was then taken to Waverley Police Station for a second oral fluid test and his driver’s licence was suspended.
He was arrested at his home in April and was charged with driving a vehicle with an illicit drug present in blood and breaching his bail conditions.
The former TV personality appeared inside Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court as his solicitor Sharon Ramsden entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
O’Keefe plans to contest the matter at a hearing later in the year, with Ramsden telling the court, “The analysis is in issue.”
Speaking outside the court, he said he was looking forward to testing the allegations during a hearing in December.
“There are certain things that might affect the credibility of a saliva test or urine test,” O’Keefe responded when asked what he hoped the outcome of the hearing would be.
Pressed on his concerns about the testing, he said, “My particular reaction to the testing.”
The eastern suburbs resident was initially refused bail in April 2023, after being given conditional release after appearing in court the day after the incident.
He was granted bail on the condition that he undergo drug and alcohol testing, not take alcohol or non-prescription drugs and be treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
O’Keefe is also due to return to court in November 2023 where he will contest numerous unrelated charges, including two counts of common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and two counts of contravening an AVO.
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