Orpheus Pledger: Former Home and Away actor pictured leaving court after attacking woman
A former TV heart-throb who bashed a woman has been pictured for the first time, after a court was told his case would face a lengthy delay.
A former Home and Away star who led police on a three-day manhunt has been pictured for the first time after he was released on bail when his case was hit by a delay.
Orpheus Pledger, 31, was brought before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to repeatedly assaulting a woman earlier this year.
He walked free from the court on Wednesday afternoon after a magistrate ruled he could spend the next six weeks living at his jazz musician father’s home.
Pledger was greeted by a large pack of TV cameras but declined to answer questions as a supporter pulled him to a nearby car.
He kept his head down as he entered a white Nissan X-Trail while the driver beeped the horn several times at photographers.
The former TV star had been expected to be sentenced by magistrate Justin Foster who instead said it was appropriate to adjourn the case for six weeks.
On Monday, Mr Foster had asked for the actor to be assessed by community corrections but told the court he had received a response requesting additional time to produce a more detailed report on Pledger’s “complex needs”.
“I was hoping the matter could be dealt with today,” he said.
“But noting the seriousness of the offending … In my view it’s appropriate that take place.”
Pledger’s lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, objected, saying his client had spent 96 days in custody and any further time would be prejudicial.
Five hours later, Pledger returned before the court where he was granted bail by Mr Foster to live with his father in Victoria’s north.
Mr Foster said a recently received report from prison authorities found Pledger’s mental health was “not quite as dire as once thought”.
“It goes without saying you’ve been informed about the absolute requirement to comply with these conditions,” he said.
“Yes, Your Honour,” Pledger replied, nodding.
Mr Foster said he was considering imposing further imprisonment but “can’t keep him locked up forever”.
“I’m comforted the place is far removed from that place — about as far as possible in Victoria,” he said.
On Monday, Pledger pleaded guilty to charges of recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault, relating to two attacks on a woman in March during a suspected mental health crisis.
The court was told the woman called police at 1.35am on March 25 amid fears for his mental health, with the line disconnecting after she said “he’s here”.
Officers arrived 15 minutes later to find the woman injured and unable to get off the floor.
She was taken to hospital where doctors observed bruises to her face and neck, with “diamond-shaped” bruising on her cheek matching the sole of Pledger’s shoe.
A motion-capture camera screwed into a light bulb captured part of the attack, with Pledger seen dragging the woman by the hair and stomping on her head.
The court was told Pledger previously assaulted the same woman on March 1, punching and kicking her when she confronted him about his drug use and erratic behaviour.
He was released on bail in late April to undergo a medical assessment due to trouble receiving treatment in the custody system but fled after waiting in the Royal Melbourne Hospital for 6½ hours.
Slightly over an hour later he walked back into the woman’s home and told her “why, I haven’t done anything” when asked to leave.
He was rearrested in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir on April 25 and returned to custody.
On Monday, Mr MacCuspie said there were no excuses for the serious assaults but explained Pledger had fallen in with a bad crowd after he was rejected last minute from a role in the US series The 100.
Mr MacCuspie said his client’s recreational drug use had escalated during this period and the actor’s mental health had deteriorated.
“He certainly feels terrible for what has happened and the impact it’s had,” he said.
He told the court Pledger planned to get himself “straightened out” upon release, living with his Jazz-musician father and had aspirations to begin making music.
Pledger began acting at age 9 in commercials and on children’s series Silversun before landing a stint on Neighbours in 2011.
He would later take the role of Mason Morgan in Home and Away from 2016 to 2019 and most recently appeared as a contestant on SAS Australia in 2022.
He will be required to abide by a curfew and report to a police station once a week before he’s next due to face court in August.