A former Home and Away star’s story of allegedly assaulting his mother has been aired in court, as it is revealed he is accused of stamping on her head.
Orpheus Pledger, 30, appeared via video link in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday facing charges relating to an alleged assault in Northcote on March 26.
Pledger, who played Mason Morgan on the soap for 339 episodes from 2016 to 2019, applied for bail, having been in custody since his arrest about a month ago.
Security footage allegedly shows Pledger grabbing his mother by the hair and throwing her to the ground before stomping on her head.
Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger (pictured on set) has been accused of assaulting a person nine times since 2021.
The former TV star sat silently as police prosecutor Olivia Sparrow and Pledger’s defense lawyer Jasper MacCuspie made submissions about whether he should be granted bail.
The court heard Pledger’s mother allegedly called Triple Zero to warn police she was in the middle of a mental health incident.
She was heard saying “he’s coming” before the line was cut, the court was told.
Pledger’s mother allegedly suffered several serious injuries in the March 25 incident, including bruises on her forehead, cuts on her cheek, and bruises on her neck, back of her hand, and cheek.
She “believes he will eventually kill her”, the court was told, and supports police action over the alleged assaults.
Sparrow recommended that Pledger remain in custody as he poses an “unacceptable risk” to the community by being homeless and allegedly suffering from mental health and drug problems.
He also objected to an inpatient mental health evaluation order issued during a bond hearing last week because staff cannot physically stop him from leaving.
Chief Justice Justin Foster agreed, saying he “clearly needs help.”
‘Clinically, you could take your medications and any treatment you need and show improvement. Then he can be released into the community,’ he stated.
“The risk of something else happening and having dire consequences is staggering.”
Pledger faces charges related to the alleged final assault on March 26 where he was recorded allegedly throwing the victim to the ground and stomping on his head.
MacCuspie told the court there was a “difficult balancing act” between community safety and ensuring Pledger received treatment.
He admitted that footage of the alleged incident would likely see his client jailed for some time.
Only mental health treatment would “break the cycle” Pledger is in, he told the court.
“A period of incarceration without support will not break that cycle,” MacCuspie told the court.
He said the “best opportunity” to support Pledger was with the “experienced staff of the hospital system.”
In a letter to defense counsel, Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health psychologist Sam Pang said he “strongly believes that (Pledger) will be admitted and spend considerable time in hospital.”
Staff may retain the pledgor involuntarily after the assessment order, the court heard.
Magistrate Foster granted bail so Pledger could receive an assessment.
‘(The Pledger) cannot remain in pretrial detention indefinitely and with that in mind, taking into account the safety of (the victim), he will be evaluated involuntarily,’ he said.
However, Pledger will appear in court again on Tuesday following the assessment to review bail conditions.
If you receive treatment you will appear in court via video link and otherwise you will appear in court in person.
He was granted bail to receive a mental health assessment before his bail conditions were reworked in court on Tuesday (pictured, Pledger at SAS Australia in 2022)
Pledger has been an actor since he was eight years old when he first appeared in the Network Ten soap opera The Secret Life of Us in 2001.
His first big break came on the mid-2000s teen drama Silversun before landing on 36 episodes of Neighbors as Noah Parkin, a “free-spirited teen who will set some hearts on fire.”
While at the peak of his home and away fame in 2018, the 24-year-old asked his fans to vote for him in Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year, saying he would be “really happy if he won”.
He stopped acting after his character was eliminated from the show.
He would return to the big screen twice in 2020 in Full Monty and in 2022 in SAS Australia, where he dramatically exited the show after refusing to perform mundane tasks.
