Orpheus Pledger: Shocking details emerge about allegations against Home and Away heartthrob accused of stomping on his mother’s head

A former Home and Away star’s story of allegedly assaulting his mother has been aired in court – as it has been revealed he is accused of stomping on her head.

Orpheus Pledger, 30, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Monday charged with an alleged assault in Northcote on March 26.

Pledger – who played Mason Morgan on the soap for 339 episodes from 2016 to 2019 – applied for bail after being in custody since his arrest about a month ago.

Security footage shows Pledger grabbing his mother by the hair and throwing her to the ground before stomping on her head.

The former TV star sat quietly as police prosecutor Olivia Sparrow and Pledger’s lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, made their submissions on whether he should be granted bail.

The court heard that Pledger’s mother had called Triple Zero to alert police that he was in the middle of a mental health incident.

She was heard saying “he’s coming” before the line was disconnected, the court was told.

Pledger’s mother is said to have suffered a number of serious injuries from the March 25 incident, including hematomas on her forehead, cuts on her cheek and bruises on her neck, back of her hand and cheek.

She “believes he will eventually kill her”, the court was told, and supports police action against the alleged assaults.

Ms Sparrow recommended that Pledger remain in custody because he poses an “unacceptable risk” to the community while he is homeless and reportedly suffers from drug and mental health problems.

She also opposed an order for a patient’s mental health assessment at a bail hearing last week, saying staff cannot physically prevent him from leaving.

Presiding Magistrate Justin Foster agreed, but noted that “he clearly needs help.”

“Clinically, he could take his medications and any treatment and show improvement. Then he can be released into the community,” he said.

‘The risk that something else will happen and have serious consequences is striking.’

Pledger is charged in connection with the alleged final attack on March 26, in which he was recorded throwing the victim to the ground and stomping on their heads.

Mr MacCuspie told the court there is a ‘difficult balancing act’ between the safety of the community and ensuring Pledger receives treatment.

He admitted that the footage of the alleged incident would likely land his client in jail for some time.

Only mental health treatment could break the cycle Pledger finds himself in, he told the court.

“A period of confinement without support will not break that cycle,” MacCuspie told the court.

He said the “best opportunity” to provide support to Pledger was the “experienced staff in the hospital system.”

In a letter to the lawyer, psychologist Sam Pang of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health said it was “his firm belief that (Pledger) would be admitted and spend a significant amount of time in hospital”.

The pledgee could be involuntarily detained by staff after the attack, the court heard.

Magistrate Foster granted bail so that Pledger could receive an assessment notice.

“(Pledger) cannot be held in custody indefinitely and with that in mind, for the sake of (the victim’s) safety, he will be assessed involuntarily,” he said.

However, Pledger will be back in court on Tuesday following a review of bail conditions.

If he receives treatment, he will appear before the judge via video link and if not, he will be brought before the judge in person.

He was granted bail for a mental health assessment before his bail conditions were reworked in court on Tuesday (pictured, Pledger on SAS Australia in 2022)

Pledger has been an actor since he was eight years old when he first appeared in the Network Ten soap opera, The Secret Life of Us, in 2001.

His first big break came in the mid-2000s teen drama Silversun before landing in 36 episodes of Neighbors as Noah Parkin, a “free-spirited teen who will set some hearts on fire.”

While at the height of his Home and Away fame in 2018, the then 24-year-old asked his fans to vote for him on Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year, saying he would be “very happy if I win ‘.

He retired from acting after his character was killed off the show.

He would return to the big screen twice in 2020 on Full Monty and in 2022 on SAS Australia, where he dramatically quit the show after refusing to perform mundane tasks.