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Controversial television personality Andrew O’Keefe has dropped a number of charges over an alleged altercation in a Sydney CBD apartment while facing a court hearing.
O’Keefe, 51, appeared in Downing Center Court in Sydney on Monday, where the assault charge was dropped.
Police had alleged that O’Keefe strangled a 38-year-old woman before punching and kicking her in a Sydney CBD unit in January 2022.
O’Keefe, a former barrister and son of former NSW Supreme Court Justice Barry O’Keefe, argued that he acted in self-defence and pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Michael Cleaver on Monday dropped a number of charges of willful asphyxiation, common assault and assault with bodily harm.
“The prosecution is largely dependent on a single civilian witness who has left the country,” Sergeant Cleaver told the court.
O’Keefe continues to face charges of police resistance, drug charges and domestic violence.
He previously avoided a conviction for domestic violence in June 2021 after the charges were settled under the NSW Mental Health Act.
He was paroled in May 2022 to attend a rehabilitation center for up to 12 months to combat his cocaine, ice and cannabis abuse.
The hearing continues.
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