A FORMER Home and Away star has escaped police custody and is now on the run after being arrested on assault charges.
Orpheus Pledger, 30, had been escorted from jail to the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Tuesday for a mental health assessment when he fled.
The TV star had been held in pre-trial detention since March 27 after he allegedly stomped on a woman’s head last month.
A magistrate had agreed for Pledger to undergo involuntary inpatient mental health care on Monday before the actor escaped, a court heard.
He is believed to have got up and walked out of the hospital after waiting six hours for his appointment – breaching his bail conditions.
The former actor, who played Mason Morgan on the Aussie soap for 339 episodes between 2016 to 2019, was arrested on assault charges after an attack that was caught on camera.
The footage reportedly showed Plegder forcing the female victim to the ground before proceeding to stomp on her head.
He was arrested by Victoria Police on March 25 after the victim called cops saying “he’s coming” and the line was disconnected.
The woman, who cannot be named, suffered severe injuries including a haematoma on her head, cuts to her cheek and bruises.
The court heard how the female victim believed he would “eventually kill her” and has been supporting police with their investigation.
He was held for several weeks before his lawyer, Matthew MacCuspie, argued that his client’s mental health was at risk due to his detention.
After the order for a patient assessment was granted, the accused waited at the Royal Melbourne Hospital for six hours with a police escort before vanishing at 6.10pm on Monday.
It is unclear how Pledger managed to escape while under the supervision of police.
His bail application was delayed until Tuesday and he was expected to appear via video link but could not be contacted.
A warrant for his arrest has now been issued.
Magistrate Justin Foster said he would not grant a similar order again after he “bent over backwards to try and offer someone mental health treatment as they require”.
He also expressed concern that a mental health patient had been left untreated and unseen for so many hours.
The actor was previously arrested on drug charges in 2021 after he was found carrying crystal meth and valium.
He was handed a good behaviour order for six months, made to complete a drug awareness course plus pay a £78 fine ($150aud).
He was also spared a criminal record and did not appear in court to face the charges.
Pledger shot to stardom as a child actor at just eight years old after his role in the kids series Sliversun.
He later joined the cast of Neighbours as Noah Parkin in 2011 and then appeared on the hit show Home and Away as Mason Morgan.
The actor chose to leave the role in 2019 and was killed off in the season finale in November.
In February 2022, he starred in season three of SAS Australia but voluntarily withdrew after just two days.
He left during a psychological evaluation with Ant Middleton and Doctor Dan where they discussed his erratic behaviour.
