Former Home And Away Star Orpheus Pledger Has Jail Sentence Reduced

An appeal to lessen the jail sentence of a former Home and Away actor who assaulted a lady while under the influence of drugs was successful.

On Tuesday, Orpheus Pledger, who portrayed Mason Morgan in the television soap opera, appeared in court to contest a seven-month sentence that was imposed in August.

While waiting for the appeal to be heard, Pledger has been in the community on bail despite having previously served 97 days in jail.

Judge Michael Tinney concurred with Pledger’s attorneys this afternoon that the 31-year-old had been detained for an adequate amount of time.

The judge did, however, extend the community corrections order from 12 months to 2 years, which meant that Pledger might be returned to jail if he was found to have committed more crimes.

“The 97 days you’ve spent in prison, that surely would have a role in deterring you in the future,” the court stated.

The interior of an adult prison has been shown to you. If you reoffend, you are aware of what will happen.

As part of the order, the pledger will be required to participate in recovery programs and perform 150 hours of unpaid community service.

In an unprovoked attack in March, Pledger pulled his victim to the ground by her hair before kicking and stomping on her head.

On Tuesday, the woman—who cannot be named for legal reasons—came to the County Court to back his appeal.

She urged the judge to be lenient in two letters to the court.

Judge Tinney described Pledger’s offense as “pretty dreadful” and stated that there was still no clear explanation for what Pledger had done.

According to Judge Tinney, evaluation reports indicated that Pledger had missed recent treatment appointments, and a counsellor had referred to his actions since October as “concerning.”

According to the judge, Pledger also acknowledged that he was in denial about his mental health problems and that he was not taking his anti-psychotic medicine as prescribed.

Pledger’s acts were deemed “worthy of strong condemnation” by Magistrate Justin Foster in August, who stated that society was tired of domestic violence against women.

In addition to a 12-month community corrections term upon his release, Magistrate Foster’s initial sentence included seven months in jail.

After violating his bail terms in April, Pledger, who suffers from a heroin addiction, became the focus of a three-day police manhunt.

After being apprehended again, he was detained for three months.

The actor appeared unkempt in a ripped black sweatshirt when he appeared in court in August.

When he sat in the court dock on Tuesday, he looked very different. Pledger listened intently to the hearing while sporting clear-rimmed glasses and a checkered shirt. His brother and father were among the family members who defended him in court.

Despite noting the actor’s decline over the previous five years, Judge Tinney stated that Pledger had no violent criminal history.

“You have been drifting and surely that must coincide with use of the drugs,” he stated.

Wearing a face mask, Pledger left court in a waiting automobile without saying anything.