Convicted attacker and former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger has walked free from jail on appeal after a Victoria County Court judge ruled he had served enough time behind bars.
Pledger, 31, had been sentenced in August to seven months in prison for a savage attack on a woman in which he was seen stamping on her head.
He was jailed after pleading guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to assaulting the woman on two separate occasions in March.
The first time, he kicked and punched his innocent victim in the face after she expressed concern about his drug use and deteriorating mental health.
He then attacked her a second time, dragging her by the hair and stomping on her face while she was on the ground.
Pledger was arrested but released on bail on April 22 on the condition that he undergo a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
He escaped from a hospital the next morning, sparking a manhunt that ended three days later when he was He was detained again.
On Tuesday, Victoria County Court Judge Michael Tinney released Pledger despite hearing evidence of “concerning signs of behaviour” displayed by the former actor while out on bail.
Orpheus Pledger leaves the Victoria County Court in Melbourne on Tuesday after being released by Judge Michael Tinney.
Court heard from bail supervisors It noted that Pledger had missed several appointments over the past two months and had shown concerning behavioral changes, including being overly talkative, talking off topic, grandiosity and euphoria, and had self-adjusted his medication.
Judge Tinney himself stated that he believed “the wheels seemed to be falling off” on Pledger’s rehabilitation.
pledge He denied he had relapsed into drug use, the court was told, but no tests had been carried out.
Judge Tinney said he was “deeply concerned” by the development, noting that a psychiatrist had found Pledger was at increased risk of reoffending if he relapsed into drug use.
“His relevant functioning had deteriorated to a point described as worrying,” he said.
In August, Magistrate Justin Foster jailed Pledger, saying he accepted the actor had a drug problem but that was no excuse for violence.
The magistrate also expressed concern about Pledger’s lack of knowledge about the crime.
On Tuesday, Pledger’s attorney, Jonathan Barrera, admitted that his client still could not explain why he attacked the woman, but said he had since shown remorse.
Pledger, 31, was sentenced in August to seven months in prison for a savage attack on a woman in which he was seen stamping on her head.
Pledger (right) photographed arriving for sentencing during a court appearance in August
Pledger as he appeared on Home and Away with co-star Sam Frost in 2019
He argued that Pledger’s early guilty plea, limited criminal record and good prospects for rehabilitation should contribute to a lighter sentence.
The lawyer argued that Pledger had already served 97 days of pre-sentence detention and should be released on a community corrections order.
Judge Tinney agreed, finding that Pledger had spent sufficient time behind bars.
The judge overturned the magistrate’s decision and resentenced Pledger to 97 days in jail, considered already served, and a two-year community corrections order.
According to the correctional order, Pledger will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work and receive treatment for drug abuse and mental health issues.
In his resentencing, Judge Tinney said Pledger had carried out unprovoked assaults on a vulnerable woman.
“It’s disturbing, it’s serious and it’s quite incredible that you would behave this way,” Judge Tinney told Pledger.
It noted that the actor had missed psychiatric appointments while out on bail and had altered the doses of his antipsychotic medications without notifying a doctor.
The judge said that while he had reservations about Pledger’s recent “hiccups,” he ultimately remained a 31-year-old man with good prospects for rehabilitation.
A judge finally ruled that Pledger (pictured) had spent enough time behind bars on Tuesday.
Pledger’s mugshot was distributed nationwide after he absconded
Pledger was pulled away from reporters waiting outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
Pledger seemed surprised to learn he would not be sent back to prison.
He put on a cap and mask as he left court and chose not to answer reporters’ questions.
The former actor, who played Mason Morgan on the soap for 339 episodes from 2016 to 2019, He had been arrested a day after he allegedly assaulted the same woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, for the ninth time since 2021.
Security footage of the incident showed Pledger grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground before stomping on her head.
The court heard a triple-0 call from Pledger’s assault victim who warned police she was in the middle of a mental health incident.
The woman was heard saying “it’s coming” before the queue was cut, the court was told.
He suffered several serious injuries in the March 25 incident, including bruises to his forehead, cuts to his cheek and bruises to his neck, back of his hand and cheek.
The woman told police she “believes he will eventually kill her”, the court was told, and supported the police who acted on the attacks.
