Former Home and Away actor Orpheus Pledger has been apprehended following a three-day search. Victoria Police confirmed on Thursday evening, April 25, that the 30-year-old Australian actor, who was wanted on a warrant, had been taken into custody.
This development comes in the wake of footage emerging of him allegedly assaulting a woman, dragging her to the ground, and stomping on her head. The video, released by Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday, surfaced after the actor evaded custody just before his scheduled court appearance on assault charges, prompting a manhunt.
Pledger purportedly seized the woman from behind, causing her to fall, and proceeded to stomp on her head forcefully enough to leave bruising imprints from his Vans sneakers on her face and ears. Earlier that Tuesday, Pledger was escorted from jail to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a mental health assessment around 3:30 am, near the city’s CBD.
However, as of about 9:10 am, he had not yet been examined by doctors. Allegedly, he simply left, breaching his bail conditions. Pledger remained at large until his arrest on Thursday, with law enforcement launching a search after a warrant for his arrest was issued.
This purported escape left Melbourne Magistrate Justin Foster incensed, especially after he had gone to lengths to approve the hospital visit in a hearing on Monday. Pledger, known for his role as Mason Morgan on the soap for 339 episodes from 2016 to 2019, had been in custody since his arrest on March 27. The court was informed that Pledger had been arrested the day after he allegedly assaulted the same woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for a ninth time since 2021.
Pledger was expected to undergo a hospital examination and return to court on Tuesday for a reassessment of his bail conditions. However, when his case was called by Magistrate Foster on Tuesday morning, he was nowhere to be found. Pledger’s solicitor, Jasper MacCuspie, informed the court that his client had left the hospital after waiting almost six hours without being seen.
