Home And Away star pleads GUILTY to beating woman in sickening CCTV that sparked manhunt for disgraced ex-TV
A FORMER Home and Away star has pleaded guilty to beating a woman after being caught on CCTV.
Shocking footage shows disgraced Orpheus Pledger dragging a woman by her hair before stomping on her head.
The fallen actor, 31, was bailed on April 22 on the condition he undergo a court-ordered mental health check.
But Pledger – who was on Home and Away between 2016 and 2019 – sparked a huge manhunt in Australia when he absconded from hospital the following morning.
Cops were forced to issue a warrant for his arrest before he was finally tracked down on April 25.
Pledger was arrested on 25 March after police were called to a home in Melbourne in the early hours.
CCTV showed Pledger following a woman outside the property before dragging her backwards by her hair.
He then pushes her to the ground, raises his foot, and stomps on her.
Photos of the victim presented in court show the victim with bruises on her head and face, news.com.au reports.
Cops rushed to the scene at 1.35am after an emergency call cut out.
Officers said they heard the words “he’s coming” before it disconnected.
Pledger was arrested later the same day and has been in pre-sentence custody since.
He has now pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman.
Pledger’s lawyer Jasper MacCuspie said his client’s life spiralled into mental health problems and drug issues after he missed out on a part on hit US drama The 100.
MacCuspie said the “last-minute” rejection from the show proved “quite a destabilising event for him”.
He said Pledger began using meth in his mid-late 20s but never developed into a full-blown dependency.
But after his rejection, his use of the Class A drug intensified.
MacCuspie also argued his 94-day pre-sentence detention was “sufficient if not almost there” for punishment” and a community corrections order would be more suitable.
But prosecutors argued the “nature and gravity of the offending…is a serious incident”.
They did, however, agree a community protection order would be appropriate.
Magistrate Justin Foster said Pledger would need to be assessed for a community corrections order before sentencing.
He said: “At the moment the court doesn’t know if it’s a mental health or drug issue.”
Judge Foster adjourned the case for sentencing on July 3.
