- Orpheus Pledger appealed jail sentence
- Court heard he showed worrying behavioural signs
A troubled former Australian actor has exhibited worrying behavioural signs, including grandiosity while on bail for assault charges, a court has been told.
Orpheus Pledger, 31, appeared in the Victorian County Court on Tuesday to appeal a seven-month jail sentence imposed in August for twice attacking a woman in March.
The ex-Home and Away star swapped the black hoodie of his last court appearance for a purple check shirt and appeared to have cut his hair and shaved.
His lawyers have asked Judge Michael Tinney to resentence him to a community corrections order and the 97 days he spent on remand be considered as time served.
But Judge Tinney raised concerning reports from Pledger’s bail monitors, saying it appeared the ‘wheels seem to be falling off’.
Pledger, the report noted, had missed several appointments in the past two months and was exhibiting concerning behavioural changes, including being overly talkative, speaking off topic, grandiosity and euphoria, and had self-adjusted his medication.
He denied he had relapsed into drug use, the court was told, but had not been tested.
Judge Tinney said he was ‘deeply troubled’ by the development, noting a psychiatrist had found Pledger was at an increased risk of reoffending if he relapsed into drug use.
A troubled former Australian actor has exhibited worrying behavioural signs, including grandiosity while on bail for assault charges, a court has been told
Orpheus Pledger, 31 (right), appeared in the Victorian County Court on Tuesday to appeal a seven-month jail sentence imposed in August for twice attacking a woman in March
‘His relevant functioning had deteriorated to the extent it’s described as concerning,’ he said.
Pledger was arrested in March after twice attacking a woman that month.
One of the incidents was captured in part by a motion-activated camera, with Pledger dragging the woman by the hair to the ground and stomping on her head.
He was released on bail in late April to undergo a medical assessment over concerns for his mental health but fled and prompted a manhunt.
The 30-year-old actor was granted bail on Monday and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Monday for a court-ordered medical assessment for his mental health.
Previously, the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court was told nurses at the hospital observed him muttering that he was going to ‘kill’.
Pledger pleaded guilty to charges of recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault, with his lawyer explaining Pledger’s drug use had escalated in recent years.
‘He certainly feels terrible for what has happened and the impact it’s had,’ lawyer Justin MacCuspie said.
One of the incidents was captured in part by a motion-activated camera, with Pledger dragging the woman by the hair to the ground and stomping on her head
Pledger began acting at age 9 in commercials and on children’s series Silversun before landing a stint on Neighbours in 2011.
He later took the role of Mason Morgan in Home and Away from 2016 to 2019 and most recently appeared as a contestant on SAS Australia in 2022.
Judge Tinney will hand down a decision on the appeal on Tuesday afternoon.
