By Erin Pearson
A former soapie star who stomped on a woman’s head and later fled hospital has been granted bail to live with his father after telling a court about his improved mental health.
Orpheus Pledger, 31, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday dressed in a grey tracksuit and flanked by two guards.
Pledger leaving court on bail.Credit: Eddie Jim
Pledger, who pleaded guilty to four charges, including intentionally cause injury and unlawful assault, was meant to be in court for sentencing. However, the magistrate heard a pre-sentencing report would take another six weeks to complete because Pledger had complex needs.
His defence lawyer said that due to this delay, Pledger should be released on bail after spending more than 90 days on remand. Pledger smiled and nodded at his lawyer when brought into court, where police opposed his release on bail.
In April, Pledger fled from a court-ordered hospital assessment while out on bail. The court heard at the time that he had spent six hours waiting to be seen but fled and returned to the victim’s home. He was arrested three days later.
Defence lawyer Jasper MacCuspie told the court that his client’s mental health had stabilised such that he’d recently been moved into the mainstream part of Ravenhall Correctional Centre and found unsuitable for involuntary treatment.
MacCupsie said his client’s father, a jazz musician, was happy to have him stay there while on bail.
While magistrate Justin Foster noted Pledger was facing close to six months in jail for his crimes, he would eventually need to be released.
“I can’t have him locked up forever,” Foster said. “I do propose to grant bail.”
As part of Pledger’s bail conditions, he must reside with his father near the NSW-Victoria border, report to police once a week and comply with a daily curfew from 11pm to 6am. He must also return to court in August for sentencing.
Pledger leaving court on Wednesday.Credit: Eddie Jim
“It goes without saying, Mr Pledger, you’ve already been informed by your barrister of the requirements to comply with your bail conditions,” Foster said.
“There are obviously punitive and rehabilitative elements to any sentencing exercise. This is part of … that integration.”
Pledger stood for the magistrate as he was granted bail. When asked if he understood the conditions, he replied: “Yes, your honour.”
Earlier, the court heard Pledger had descended into recreational drug use, particularly methamphetamines, after being dropped from a US television role and that he relied on Centrelink for financial support.
Pledger had attacked his victim repeatedly over a three-month period with one of the incidents captured on hidden camera, the court heard.
About 1.35am on March 25, the victim called triple zero asking for help and when police arrived they said they found the woman lying on the ground injured after Pledger threw her to the ground by her hair and repeatedly stomped on her face.
The injured woman was taken to hospital where she was found to have a bruised forehead, a cheek laceration, bruising to her right hand and marks on her face and ear. The prosecution said the victim had little recollection of the attack.
But when police escorted her home, they found a motion-activated camera screwed into a light fixture in her lounge room had recorded the assault. In the footage, Pledger can be seen approaching the woman from behind, before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her to the ground then stomping on her head.
“While at the house, police also located the accused’s shoes – a pair of Vans sneakers – with the pattern bearing a likeness to the bruising on the victim’s face and ears,” police prosecutor Fionnuala Kennedy said.
Pledger also pleaded guilty to a March 1 incident in which the woman was thrown to the ground, punched and kicked in the face after an argument. He was eventually arrested on March 26 but deemed unsuitable for interview after a medical assessment.
When he was later granted bail, on the condition he was escorted by police to hospital for an in-patient mental health assessment, he repeatedly told staff he was going to “kill” the victim before fleeing the hospital at 9.30am, before an assessment could be made.
MacCuspie noted during that time his client was unable to get the mental health assessment he required, which he noted was a widespread issue within the health system.
Pledger previously appeared in television commercials as a child before leaving school in year 9 and later progressing into acting for popular Australian soapies.
Pledger voluntarily left SAS Australia early in the series after being called on to discuss his lack of engagement.Credit: Channel Seven
He became a child actor on The Secret Life of Us and later played Noah Parkin on Neighbours in 2011. He rose to prominence while playing aspiring doctor Mason Morgan on Home and Away from 2016 to 2019.
During a string of Home and Away episodes in 2017, Pledger’s character Morgan has a run-in with law over drugs. In one episode a bag of white powder falls from his wallet and he is arrested, posing for a mug shot at the Yabbie Creek police station.
“It won’t happen again,” his character tells on-screen colleagues during the episode.
A mugshot of Orpheus Pledger’s character on Home and Away, Mason Morgan.Credit: Channel 7
More recently, he appeared on reality-TV show SAS Australia in 2022. Concerns were raised during the production over his “erratic behaviour”, and he voluntarily exited the program after only two episodes.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.