ORPEHEUS Pledger is a former child star who has been making headlines recently for reasons aside from his acting.
Here we take a look at his life and career — as well as why he’s been on the run from the law.
Who is Orpheus Pledger?
Pledger is an Australian actor who was born on May 11, 1993 in Melbourne.
At just eight years old the child actor shot to stardom due to his role in kids’ series Sliversun.
He later joined the cast of Neighbours as Noah Parkin in 2011, before appearing on Home and Away from 2016.
In February 2022, he starred in season three of SAS Australia but voluntarily withdrew after just two days.
Pledger left the show during a psychological evaluation with Ant Middleton and Doctor Dan where they discussed his erratic behaviour.
Who did Orpheus Pledger play in Home and Away?
The former child star played Mason Morgan on the hit Aussie soap.
He appeared in 339 episodes between the years of 2016 and 2019.
The actor chose to leave the role in 2019 and was killed off in the season finale at the end of that year.
What did Orpheus Pledger do?
CCTV footage shows the moment the former Home and Away star allegedly dragged a woman to the ground and stamped on her head.
The horrific clip was released by Melbourne Magistrates Court as part of an ongoing assault case involving the actor, who is currently on the run.
Pledger was arrested on March 25 and held on pre-trial detention since March 27 over the sickening attack.
After being granted a mental health assessment on April 22, Pledger just walked out of the Royal Melbourne Hospital while under police guard.
Released on April 23, the CCTV footage shows the unnamed woman being grabbed from behind by her hair as she is pulled to the ground.
The attack allegedly carried out by Pledger happens just off camera, but a shadow seems to show him stomping on the female victim’s head.
She suffered severe injuries including a haematoma on her head, cuts to her cheek and bruises.
The woman is said to have called the police saying “he’s coming” before the phone line was disconnected, and the court heard how she believed Pledger would “eventually kill her”.
She has been supporting police with their investigation.
30-year-old Pledger was arrested days after the assault in May, but his lawyer Matthew MacCuspie argued his client’s mental health was at risk whilst he remained behind bars.
A magistrate agreed for the TV star to undergo involuntary inpatient mental health care on April 22 under police escort.
He is believed to have got up and walked out of the hospital at 6.10pm after waiting six hours for his appointment — breaching his bail conditions.
It is unclear how Pledger managed to escape while under the supervision of police.
His bail application was delayed until April 23 and he was expected to appear via video link — but could not be reached.
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.
A warrant for Pledger’s arrest has been issued, with police frantically searching for the missing actor.