Shocking soap star descends into meth addiction after heartbreak lands him on Centrelink in the US – before carrying out brutal attack caught on camera

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

A court has heard how a former Home and Away heartthrob turned to drug use after losing a role on a US television show before brutally attacking a woman.

Orpheus Pledger, 30, appeared in Melbourne District Court via video link from prison on Monday to plead guilty to a string of offences relating to the attack on a Melbourne home in the early hours of March 25.

The brutal attack was captured on Pledger’s motion-activated camera, which showed him grabbing the victim’s hair and throwing her to the ground before stamping on her head.

Images of the woman’s injuries from the attack show bruises on the side of her face that bore a “similar resemblance” to the only pattern of Vans sneakers he owned.

The court heard Pledger had a successful acting career which peaked with 339 episodes in the popular soap Home and Away.

But he suffered a devastating blow to his career when a role on an American television show Eleven O’Clock fell through and the actor went into a downward spiral.

Pledger began to associate with an ‘antisocial’ group and used methamphetamine recreationally, which he admitted in court had an effect on him at the time of the attack.

Melbourne Magistrates’ Court has heard how former Home and Away heartthrob Orpheus Pledger (pictured) turned to drugs before brutally attacking a woman

The victim called Triple Zero and alerted police. Pledger was in the middle of a mental health incident shortly before the attack, the court previously heard.

She heard her say “he’s coming” before the line went dead.

Fifteen minutes later, police arrived and found the woman lying on the ground. Pledger was nowhere to be seen.

He was arrested two days later and remanded in custody until April 15, when he was granted one-day bail for a mental health assessment at Northern Hospital.

A prosecutor told the court Monday that Pledger warned hospital staff several times that he was going to “kill” the victim.

After waiting about six hours for a consultation, he fled the hospital and immediately returned to the victim’s home.

The court heard that when a family member told him he was being remanded in custody, Pledger replied: “Why? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Judge Justin Foster was furious when he heard Pledger had escaped from hospital, saying he had ‘tried everything’ to get the bail condition approved.

A three-day manhunt ensued before he was re-arrested. Officially, his bail was denied and he was remanded in custody.

Pledger enjoyed a successful acting career as a child, appearing in 339 episodes of the soap opera (pictured) before a role on an American TV show at the 11th fell through.

The court heard Pledger (pictured) was subsequently seized by an ‘anti-social’ mob and turned to recreational use of methamphetamines in the years before the attack

Magistrate Foster briefly expressed his frustrations at the shortage of police, ambulances and mental health professionals who can assess prisoners.

Mr MacCuspie said his client had been in custody for about 11 hours before being taken to Northern Hospital, where he was left in an “aggravated” condition.

“Even if he seeks this support and accepts that he needs it, it cannot be obtained,” he told the court.

Mr MacCuspie added that his client’s mental health had deteriorated during the 94 non-consecutive days he spent behind bars.

He stated that Pledger had never been diagnosed with a mental illness and that the cause of the disorder therefore lay in his drug use.

The court also heard that his drug use had increased after he lost his role, but that it had never ‘developed into full-blown dependence’.

“(Pledger) recognizes that he has to get this under control himself,” Mr MacCuspie told the court.

A motion-activated camera captured by Pledger showed him pulling the woman’s hair, throwing her to the ground and stomping on her head (pictured)

Pledger (pictured) pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to the incident and is being assessed to see if he can be released on a community corrections order

He argued that the case was an “everyday” case for a police judge if his client’s background as an actor was ignored.

Mr MacCuspie urged that Pledger should not be put behind bars for longer but instead be given a community service order.

Pledger indicated that he had rekindled his relationship with his father during his captivity and wanted to serve the CCO at his home in rural Victoria.

Magistrate Foster adjourned the case until Wednesday so that Pledger could be assessed to determine what issues he faces and whether he can fulfil a CCO role.

“At this point the court doesn’t know whether it’s a mental illness or a drug problem,” he said.