Orpheus Pledger, a former Home and Away actor, has escaped police custody after being arrested on assault charges. Pledger was escorted from jail to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for a mental health assessment on Tuesday, but he fled the hospital at approximately 6:10 p.m. after waiting six hours for his appointment.
Pledger has been held in pre-trial detention since March 27 after he allegedly stomped on a woman’s head. He was scheduled to undergo involuntary inpatient mental health care on Monday, as ordered by a magistrate.
Footage of the alleged assault, which was captured on camera, shows Pledger forcing the woman to the ground and then stomping on her head. The victim reportedly suffered severe injuries, including haematomas to her forehead, cuts to her cheek, and bruising to her neck, back of the hand, and cheek.
Pledger was arrested by Victoria Police on March 25. His lawyer, Matthew MacCuspie, argued that Pledger’s mental health was at risk due to his detention. An order for a patient assessment was granted, and Pledger waited six hours for his appointment at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He was accompanied by a police escort but managed to escape while they were waiting.
It is not yet known how Pledger managed to escape. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and his bail application has been delayed until Tuesday, when he is expected to appear via video link.
Magistrate Justin Foster has expressed outrage over the incident and has stated that he will not grant a similar order again. He said, “This makes me query if I will ever grant this order again.” He added that he was shocked that a suspected mentally ill patient had been left untreated and unattended for almost six hours.
Pledger, 30, shot to fame as a child actor when he appeared on the children’s series Silversun as Tycho Everson at the age of eight. He went on to join the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Noah Parkin in 2011. From 2016 to 2019, he played Mason Morgan on Home and Away for 339 episodes before choosing to leave the show. His character was killed off in the season finale in November 2019.
Pledger returned to television screens when he appeared on season three of SAS Australia. However, he voluntarily withdrew from the program after just two days following a psychological evaluation with Ant Middleton and Doctor Dan, who discussed his “erratic behaviour”.
The news of Pledger’s escape from custody has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and the community. The police are currently searching for Pledger, and the public is urged to contact the authorities if they have any information regarding his whereabouts.
