Actor Orpheus Pledger was cast on Seven’s SAS Australia amid ‘escalating drug use’

A TV star accused of “stomping” on a woman’s head was given a role at Channel 7 at the same time police say he was battling major drug issues.

A former Home and Away star accused of “stomping” on a woman’s head was starring in Seven’s reality show SAS Australia while battling “declining mental health and escalating drug use”, according to court documents.   

Orpheus Pledger, 30, is accused of a violent alleged assault of a woman on March 25.

His whereabouts were unknown for three days after he absconded from a Melbourne hospital on Tuesday morning while on remand.

He was arrested again on Thursday.

At a bail application earlier this week, which spanned two days, the court heard of a years-long deterioration of Pledger’s mental health coupled with alleged increasing drug use.

The star recruits of SAS Australia season three. Orpheus Pledger (far left) took part in the show despite police alleging he was suffering mental health and drug abuse issues around the same time.

Footage shows the moment Pledger allegedly violently assaulted a woman by dragging her to the ground and stomping on her head.

The alleged assault occured on March 25 this year.

A police statement submitted to the court alleged that Pledger was dealing with “declining mental health and escalating drug use” between February 2021 and his alleged attack in March this year.

Court documents also alleged Pledger has been “refusing to engage with mental health services and appears to spend his Centrelink payments on drugs” and had been known to police over that period.

In October of 2021, he was revealed as a contestant on season three of SAS Australia, which aired the following year.

Seven was sent questions on Wednesday regarding Pledger’s vetting for the show but the broadcaster has not responded.

Star quit his last TV appearance after ‘erratic behaviour’

Pledger is perhaps best known for a three-year-long stint on the iconic Australian soap Home and Away where he played the role of student doctor Mason Morgan for 339 episodes.

The character was killed off the show in 2019.

Pledger also acted in Neighbours in 2011 and starred in 26 episodes of the mid-2000s dystopian teen drama Silversun.

His most recent TV appearance was in the third season of SAS Australia in 2022.

Pledger voluntarily left SAS Australia after being grilled over his behavior during the show.

Pledger abruptly quit the show after two episodes when the cast and crew expressed concerns over his “erratic behaviour”.

“If someone tries to make me do something that I need to do without telling me why, I find it intrusive. I find it annoying,” Pledger said during filming.

After being concerned about his behaviour, the show’s chief instructor, Ant Middleton, and lead medic, Dr Dan Pronk, checked Pledger’s psych test results before arranging a meeting.

“You seemed quite lost at the beginning,” Middleton said in the interview, which was aired on the program.

“You were stronger today … when you’re on it, you’re on it, but there’s no in-between ground. It’s either, ‘Yeah let’s f**king do this’ or, ‘Nah you’re not getting that out of me’.”

Pledger then shocked Middleton and Dr Pronk by declaring, “I want to go home … I definitely want to go home,” agreeing with their assessment.

SAS Australia's Ant Middleton and lead medic Dr Dan Plonk sat down for an on-camera meeting with the star. Picture: SAS Australia via YouTube

In a post-show interview, Pledger said: “Completing a course like this, if it’s exactly what I’m required to learn, then I’m going to go for it.

“If I don’t want to learn it, then I’m not going to learn it, and if you call that quitting, then that’s quitting. Otherwise, it’s me doing what I want for myself because I care about other people.”

Middleton later said of the incident: “I don’t care if you’re Australia’s most loved celebrity, don’t come on my course if you’re not there to give absolutely everything.”

There is no suggestion Middleton of Dr Plonk were aware of Pledger’s alleged health issues.

Pledger’s accused crimes

On Tuesday, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard the stunning revelation that the actor had failed to appear after leaving a Melbourne hospital earlier that morning while on remand.

He has since been returned to custody.

All parties expressed frustration as the court heard Pledger left Royal Melbourne Hospital overnight while waiting for a court-ordered medical assessment.

Police issued a warrant to arrest Pledger on Wednesday and he was returned to custody on Thursday. Picture: VicPol

He is accused of a violent alleged assault of a woman on March 25 and faces charges include causing injury and unlawful assault.

Police attended a suburban Melbourne home at 1.35am that morning after a triple-0 call cut out.

Police alleged during Monday’s hearing that the words “he’s coming” were heard before the line disconnected.

The woman was taken to the hospital with bruising, small lacerations to her cheek, and bruising to her neck, which police alleged indicated strangling.

Pledger’s alleged attack was caught on CCTV.

The actor has been in a years-long battle with his mental health and drug abuse, court documents allege.

Footage of the incident was played to Magistrate Justin Foster earlier in the hearing, who remarked: “It’s reasonably clear that he stomped on (the woman’s) head.”

Police also detailed what was caught in the 25-second clip.

The recording allegedly captures the accused walking up behind the woman, grabbing her, and dragging her to the ground before proceeding to stomp on her head.

It’s also alleged that the soles of a pair of Vans sneakers belonging to Pledger bear a significant likeness to a bruising pattern on each side of the alleged victim’s face and ears.

Pledger was arrested at 10.38am on March 25 in Northcote and was in custody until he absconded on Tuesday morning.

He has been on remand since March 27 after his bail was refused.

Three days at large

Pledger was again arrested on Thursday following a three-day police manhunt after an arrest warrant was issued for the actor.

While his abscondment caused his bail application to be revoked, during the lengthy bail application on Monday, the court deliberated over ongoing risk to the public and the alleged victim balanced with a need for Pledger to receive urgent treatment for drug abuse and his declining mental health.

Court documents alleged the accused is at an “extreme risk of further assaulting” the alleged victim.

Pledger’s lawyer Jasper MacCuspie argued his client’s mental health would deteriorate if he were to remain in custody.

Pledger played Mason Morgan on Home and Away for three years before his character was killed off in late 2019.

Magistrate Foster responded: “He (allegedly) stomped on (the victim’s) head. The risk of something else happening and having dire consequences is striking.”

When the matter resumed on Tuesday, Mr MacCuspie told the court he was “immensely frustrated” by the fact Pledger allegedly spent six hours in the hospital waiting to be assessed – which did not end up happening, it was claimed.

Magistrate Foster lamented “bending over backwards” on Monday to give the actor an urgent order for involuntary inpatient mental health care.

“I’ll never make an order like that again … (I) bent over backwards to try and offer someone mental health treatment as they require,” he told the court on Tuesday.

It remains unclear how he was able to leave the state’s care, and the Royal Melbourne Hospital has not responded to these claims.

Pledger’s matter will be heard again by the Melbourne Magistrates Court in May.