An embattled former Home and Away star is at large after absconding the evening before he was due in court on serious assault charges.
Footage has been released alleging to show the moment former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger violently assaulted a woman by dragging her to the ground and stomping on her head.
A Melbourne courtroom was plunged into disarray during the actor’s bail hearing on Tuesday after he failed to appear.
All parties expressed frustration as the court heard Pledger left Royal Melbourne Hospital overnight while waiting for a court-ordered medical assessment.
Pledger was supposed to front Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link from court-ordered mental health care to finalise a bail application.
He has been on remand since March 27 after his bail was refused. His charges include causing injury and unlawful assault.
However in a stunning revelation on Tuesday morning, Pledger’s lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, revealed his client had absconded from the hospital overnight.
Pledger is accused of a violent alleged assault of a woman on March 25.
Police attended a suburban Melbourne home at 1:35am that morning after a triple-0 call cut out.
Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger is at large.
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.
Footage of the incident currently before the court was played to Magistrate Justin Foster, who remarked: “It’s reasonably clear that he stomped on (the woman’s) head.”
Police detailed what was caught in the 25-second clip.
Footage has been released by a Melbourne court of the alleged attack. Picture: Supplied
The former Home and Away star absconded from hospital. Picture: Supplied
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 has been in custody since.
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.
It is alleged he stomped on the woman’s head. Picture: Supplied
Court documents alleged the accused is at an “extreme risk of further assaulting” the alleged victim.
Mr MacCuspie argued his client’s mental health would deteriorate if he were to remain in custody.
Magistrate Foster responded: “He (allegedly) stomped on (the victim’s) head. The risk of something else happening and having dire consequences is striking.”
Ray Meagher (left) and Orpheus Pledger (right) promoting Home and Away in London. Picture: Seven
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.
Also seemingly frustrated with the system was Magistrate Justin Foster who 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.
As for Pledger’s whereabouts, Mr MacCuspie said there is “no way to contact him”.
Pledger was still considered on remand and it remains unclear how he was able to leave the state’s care.
Royal Melbourne Hospital has been presented with the claims from court regarding Pledger’s lengthy wait time but has not responded.
Pledger’s bail was revoked for his case to be heard again on May 10 and an application for an arrest warrant was made to court.
Pledger waited for hours in Royal Melbourne Hospital before absconding. Picture: Jonathan Ng
Pledger playing ‘Mason’ during filming of a scene on the set of Home & Away at Palm Beach
The bail application was initially pushed back from Monday to Tuesday, after Pledger was sent to the hospital under police escort to seek an involuntary patient assessment.
If Pledger were admitted into care at the hospital, he was expected to re-attend court on Tuesday via video link. If he was not admitted into care, he was requested to attend in person.
On Monday, police protested Pledger’s counsel’s arguments for the actor to be moved to a treatment facility citing concerns about security and the risk of absconding.
Detective Senior Constable Rhys Phillips said on Monday: “When he is unwell, he is a danger.”
Pledger boasts an extensive acting resume with roles in some of Australia’s most-watched programs since appearing in The Secret Life of Us in 2001 at age eight.
Pledger played significant roles in popular Australian TV shows such as the mid-2000s dystopian teen drama Silversun, Neighbours and a lengthy stint on Home and Away.
Pledger played Mason in Home and Away for three years. Picture: Troy Snook
He more recently made a short-lived appearance in the third season of SAS Australia in 2022 but abruptly quit the show after the cast and crew expressed concerns over his “erratic behaviour”.
Pledger featured in a Men’s Health interview in 2019 towards the end of his time at Home and Away. In it, he briefly addressed the relationship between exercise and his mental health and detailed how he had moved away from toxic influences in his life.
“What I look at, the pages I follow on Instagram, the things I listen to, the words I speak and the people I choose to spend my time with,” Pledger said.
“My aim is to have these areas of my life aligned with who I am and what I like, as they’re fundamentally influential to my overall mental health.”
After leaving the iconic Australian soapie, Pledger revealed on Instagram that he planned to start DJing and he had been making electronic music.
