Former Home and Away star to plead guilty to assault after three-day manhunt

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WARNING: This nonfiction contains graphic item that whitethorn distress immoderate readers.

Melbourne histrion Orpheus Pledger has been remanded successful custody to look superior battle charges, aft helium absconded from a infirmary and pb constabulary connected a three-day manhunt.

The erstwhile Home and Away prima was charged aft allegedly assaulting a pistillate astatine her location connected March 25.

Video footage from the property, released by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, appears to amusement Pledger attack the pistillate from down and drawback her hair. He is past alleged to person dragged her to the ground, earlier stomping connected her head.

An apprehension warrant was issued for Pledger, 30, aft helium fled from the Royal Melbourne Hospital connected April 22 during a court-ordered aesculapian assessment. Police arrested Pledger connected April 25 and helium appeared successful tribunal via video nexus connected Thursday.

Former Home and Away histrion Orpheus Pledger.

Pledger’s lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, told the tribunal helium had not been informed of his client’s apprehension by constabulary and had alternatively learnt astir it done media reporting. MacCuspie said Pledger would plead blameworthy to the battle charges erstwhile helium adjacent faced tribunal connected July 1.

Pledger has been charged with 4 battle charges implicit the alleged onslaught successful March.

Pledger was allegedly reported to person assaulted the unfortunate 9 times betwixt 2021 and 2023 and the unit appeared to beryllium escalating, according to documents tended to court.

According tribunal documents, detectives obtained video footage of the March 25 incidental aft uncovering a question activated camera screwed into a airy fixture successful the woman’s loungeroom. The pistillate told constabulary the instrumentality belonged to Pledger, but she had been unaware it contained a camera.

She is reported to person suffered injuries indicating imaginable strangulation arsenic a effect of the alleged attack.

Pledger was a kid histrion connected The Secret Life of Us and played Noah Parkin connected Neighbours in 2011, earlier starring arsenic aspiring doc Mason Morgan connected Home and Away from 2016 to 2019. His astir caller tv quality was successful 2022 connected reality-TV amusement SAS Australia, wherever concerns were raised implicit his “erratic behaviour”.

He voluntarily near SAS Australia aboriginal successful the bid aft being called connected to sermon his deficiency of engagement. When asked however helium was handling the show’s grooming program, which is designed to bespeak Special Air Service selection, Pledger amazed the show’s hosts by quitting.

“I privation to spell home,” helium replied. Pledger’s erstwhile manager has antecedently told this masthead the histrion was suffering superior intelligence wellness issues.