Former soap opera star Orpheus Pledger, who fell into drug addiction and violence, will plead for clemency today to avoid six more weeks behind bars in a belated bid to win his freedom.
Pledger, 30, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday to be sentenced on charges relating to his savage attack on a woman in the early hours of March 25.
The brutal assault was captured on a motion-activated camera owned by Pledger, which showed him grabbing the victim’s hair and throwing her to the ground before stomping on her head.
Images of the woman’s injuries in the attack show bruises on the side of her face that bore a “similar resemblance” to the pattern on the sole of the Vans sneakers he owned.
On Monday, he pleaded guilty to a number of charges and was assessed for eligibility for release on a community corrections order.
Pledger sat calmly behind glass in the dock as Magistrate Justin Foster ordered him to serve another six weeks in prison to undergo a “more extensive” assessment.
His lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, formally opposed the adjournment of the matter and argued that his client should be released after having spent 96 days on remand.
Pledger was initially remanded in custody, but a late application for Pledger to be released on bail and released will now be heard in court at 3pm on Wednesday.
Pledger underwent a brief CCO assessment on Tuesday, which Corrections Victoria determined was insufficient given the details of the matter.
Former Home and Away star turned thug Orpheus Pledger (pictured) will spend another six weeks in prison for the brutal assault of a woman in April.
The brutal attack was caught on a motion-activated camera (pictured) which showed Pledger pulling the victim’s hair, throwing her to the ground and stomping on her head.
Judge FOster told the court that Corrections Victoria had requested additional time to produce a more detailed report on Pledger’s “complex needs”.
“I was hoping the matter could be resolved today,” he said.
“But given the seriousness of the crime… I think it’s appropriate for that to happen.”
Mr MacCuspie told the court his client had already served 96 days behind bars and a prolonged stay would be “prejudicial” to Pledger.
‘I understand the complexities this way… (but Pledger) or“He should be released today,” he said.
Magistrate Foster said his client needed an extended assessment because it had not been determined whether he was under the influence of a ‘drug-induced psychosis or a mental health problem’.
“Your client has stamped on a woman’s head,” he told Mr MacCuspie.
The court heard on Monday that Pledger had a successful acting career that peaked with 339 episodes on the popular soap opera Home and Away.
But he suffered a devastating blow to his career when a role on an American television show fell through at the last minute, sending the actor into a downward spiral.
Pledger began associating with an “anti-social” group and taking methamphetamine recreationally, which he admitted in court was affecting him at the time of the attack.
The victim called Triple Zero to warn police that Pledger was in the midst of a mental health incident shortly before the assault, the court previously heard.
She was heard saying “she’s coming” before the line went dead.
Police arrived 15 minutes later and found the woman lying on the ground while Pledger was nowhere to be seen.
He was arrested two days later and remanded in custody until April 15, when he was released on one-day bail to undergo a mental health evaluation at Northern Hospital.
Pledger pleaded guilty on Monday to a range of charges relating to the attack and was given a community correction order on Tuesday which was deemed insufficient.
The court heard on Monday that Pledger (left) had fallen into a downward spiral of drug use including methamphetamine after his soap opera character was killed off and he lost a role on a US television show.
A police prosecutor told the court on Monday that Pledger warned hospital staff he was going to “kill” the victim on multiple occasions.
He then fled the hospital, after waiting approximately six hours for an appointment, and returned directly to the victim’s home.
The court heard that when a family member told him he needed to be taken back into custody, Pledger replied: “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Magistrate Foster was furious when told Pledger had escaped from hospital and said he had “gone to great lengths” to get the bail condition approved.
A manhunt ensued that lasted three days before he was arrested again and officially denied bail and taken into custody.
Mr MacCuspie said he understood the magistrate’s reservations about granting Pledger bail given his previous escape, but said he would apply for his release.
He argued that a “standard mental health evaluation” would be satisfactory in determining Pledger’s mental state rather than an additional six weeks behind bars.
The 96 non-consecutive days his client spent in pretrial detention exceeded what he would have been sentenced to given his lack of prior convictions, MacCuspie told the court.
“Another six weeks of serious harm, Mr. Pledger,” MacCuspie said.
Judge Foster said the time he spent behind bars was “within the range” of a sentence relating to the seriousness of the charges.
Pledger is expected to be formally sentenced when he returns to court following the evaluation in August.
