Home and Away actor Orpheus Pledger walks free from jail after stomping on woman’s head
Actor Orpheus Pledger was sentenced in August to seven months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman earlier this year, however he appealed the ruling
Home and Away actor Orpheus Pledger has walked free from jail after successfully appealing a seven-month sentence.
The 31-year-old was sentenced in August to seven months behind bars after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman on two occasions earlier in the year. In the brutal attack, the soap star was seen stomping on the woman’s head after the shared concerns of his drug use and mental health.
In another video from the horrific incident, Orpheus was seen kicking and punching the victim. A second attack saw him drag her by her hair and then stomp on her face after she’d been pulled to the ground.
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But just three months after he was handed his sentence, Orpheus has been allowed to leave jail on appeal. A County Court of Victoria judge ruled he had already served enough time.
The actor, who also appeared in Neighbours, was arrested and bailed on April 22. He was ordered to undergo a mental health assessment at the time.
However he ran away from the hospital the next morning, which sparked a three-day manhunt before he was brought back into custody.
And this week, Judge Michael Tinney allowed the disgraced actor’s release, despite being told of “worrying behavioural signs” from Orpheus’ time on bail. He allegedly missed a number of appointments, and showed changes in his behaviour, including being overly talkative, grandiosity, euphoria and self-adjusting his medication.
Orpheus has denied relapsing with drugs, however he had not been tested. It was also noted that a psychiatrist had found the actor to be an increased risk of reoffending if he did relapse.
His barrister Jonathan Barrera argued that his client had already served 97 days of pre-sentence detention and should be released on a community corrections order. He argued that an early guilty plea as well as limited criminal history meant he should be released early.
Judge Tinney agreed, re-sentencing Orpheus to 97 days in jail, already served, and a two-year community corrections order. Under the order, he will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid community work and get treatment for drug abuse and mental health.
