By Melissa Cunningham
Former soapie star Orpheus Pledger has been sentenced to seven months in jail after a magistrate found he showed little remorse for violently attacking a woman.
But the former Home and Away actor was granted bail and released on Friday afternoon to appeal his sentence.
Orpheus Pledger in a car after leaving court on bail last month.Credit: Eddie Jim
Pledger stomped on a woman’s head in a spate of violent attacks earlier this year in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and absconded from a hospital, leading police on a three-day manhunt.
Best known for his role as Mason Morgan in the TV soap Home and Away, the 31-year-old argued he had turned to drugs after his life spiralled out of control when he was dropped from a US television series.
But on Friday, this claim was rejected by magistrate Justin Foster, who said Pledger lacked remorse for his conduct and started using drugs six years ago, well before being dropped from the cast of The 100.
“This court does not and will not allow the use of illicit drugs to excuse male violence against women, especially in the domestic violence context,” Foster said.
Orpheus Pledger arrives at court on Friday for his sentencing hearing.Credit: AAP
“Society is completely fed up with violence. Society is completely fed up with domestic violence in general, and society is particularly fed up with male violence against women.
“Your actions are worthy of strong condemnation.”
The court was told Pledger attacked his victim repeatedly over a three-month period, and one of the assaults was captured by a hidden camera.
Pledger pleaded guilty in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault.
During one attack, the victim called for help, and police found her lying on the ground with bruises on her head and hand, lacerations on her face and signs of being choked.
She was taken to hospital where doctors observed a diamond-shaped bruise on her cheek, which matched the sole of Pledger’s shoe.
In the hidden camera footage, Pledger approaches the woman from behind, grabs her by the hair and drags her to the floor and stomps on her head.
Pledger, the court heard, told police he put his foot on the woman’s face to de-escalate the situation and that she fell asleep on the floor, rather than lost consciousness, due to the violent attack.
“Mr Pledger denied experiencing any particular stressor prior to the incident, and does not understand why he responded with violence on this particular day, other than to say he wasn’t thinking straight,” Foster said.
Foster said while the consumption of drugs formed part of an explanation for Pledger’s conduct, it was no excuse.
He said a feature of the case was that there had been a number of “moving goal posts” regarding Pledger’s mental health.
But the magistrate said he was “comfortably satisfied” Pledger’s mental health condition deteriorated solely because of his drug use, rather than any underlying psychological issue.
Actor Orpheus Pledger in 2018.Credit: Getty Images
In April, Pledger fled from a court-ordered hospital assessment while on bail and returned to the victim’s home.
A warrant was issued for his arrest, and the actor spent three days on the run before police arrested him. He was remanded in custody again, but was then granted bail once more in July.
Foster said a consequence of Pledger’s conduct was the intense media scrutiny of the case.
He noted that Pledger was praised on Channel Seven’s flagship Sunrise program in 2018 after he came to the aid of a young woman who was the victim of frightening attack in Sydney.
But the magistrate on Friday said just as Pledger was commended for his heroic actions back then, he had to accept the consequences of his illegal conduct and his public fall from grace.
“In my view, you cannot wax and wane. You cannot claim fame for good deeds and then complain about infamy for bad deeds thereafter,” Foster said.
“The adverse media reports of this proceeding now sit adversely side to side with those earlier positive media reports.”
Pledger, who has been staying with his father, stood in the court dressed entirely in black and stared straight ahead as the sentence was read out.
He put on a black hooded jumper and small backpack as he was led into custody to serve out his sentence. He will be released in less than four months, having already served 97 days.
Pledger will appear at Melbourne County Court for his sentence appeal on November 12.
With AAP
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