Orpheus Pledger: Former soap actor sentenced to seven months in prison after assaulting a woman twice

Max Corstorphan
The Nightly
Orpheus Pledger (right) arrived for sentencing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, in Melbourne, Friday, August 16, 2024.
Orpheus Pledger (right) arrived for sentencing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, in Melbourne, Friday, August 16, 2024. Credit: DIEGO FEDELE/AAPIMAGE

A former soap actor who stomped on a woman’s head and then evaded police for days has been sentenced in a Melbourne court.

Orpheus Pledger, 31, repeatedly assaulted a woman, who can not be identified for legal reasons, in March.

Pledger kicked and punched the victim in the face after she raised concerns about his drug use and declining mental health.

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He then attacked the same woman about an hour later on March 25, dragging her by the hair and stomping on her face.

The victim had called triple-0 when he arrived at the property and police reached the house to find her lying on the floor in pain.

On Friday, Pledger attended the Melbourne Magistrate Court where Magistrate Justin Foster sentenced him to seven months imprisonment.

“This court does not and can not allow the use of drugs to explain violence against women,” Mr Foster said.

“It now transpires you mostly minimise your involvement and blame the victim.”

Pledger was given a seven-month jail sentence and was ordered to complete a community corrections order when he was released from prison.

Orpheus Pledger (file image)
Former TV soap actor Orpheus Pledger has been sentenced to imprisonment. Credit: AAP

Pledger has been in and out of custody multiple times since the incident.

After being arrested in March, Pledger remained in custody until late April, when he was released on bail to undergo a medical assessment at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

However, after waiting six hours, he fled the hospital, sparking an urgent manhunt.

He was arrested again by Victoria Police three days later in Reservoir.

Pledger remained in custody until July when he was granted bail again under the condition he lived with his dad in Victoria’s north.

The magistrate said he understood that Pledger planned on appealing the sentence.

Orpheus Pledger appeared on Home and Away between 2016 and 2019 as the character Mason Morgan.

- With AAP

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