Orpheus Pledger, who played Mason in the TV series Home and Away, was sentenced to spend seven months in jail after he was found guilty of assault.
The actor showed up at court this morning wearing a black bag and a torn jumper.
He was led away after the hearing, and his lawyers are preparing to apply for his release on bail later today.
The woman he assaulted, who cannot be identified due to legal restrictions, suffered multiple injuries, including bruising to her head and hand.
On the night of the incident, Pledger kicked the woman in the face and threw her to the ground.
His lawyer, Jasper MacCuspie, said that the victim had written a positive character reference for the actor, and that his client had been making progress in addressing his mental health and drug problems.
Justin Foster, the magistrate, said that the case had many troubling features, such as the lack of insight into the impact of the incident on the victim and Pledger’s lies.
He also noted that it was not acceptable for people to use drugs as an excuse for attacking others.
Strong condemnation is warranted of your actions. The court also noted that you tried to minimize the impact of your actions on the victim, blaming her for yours instead.
According to the magistrate, the actor denied stomping on her head, and he claimed that the victim fell asleep after he put his foot over her face.
According to the court, the actor’s drug problem began six years ago. This year, he was arrested after he failed to attend court and left the hospital before a psychiatric evaluation. He was then released on bail after pleading guilty to assault and causing injury.
At the hearing, his lawyer claimed that the actor’s drug problem started after he failed to get a role in the television show The 100. However, according to the magistrate, a psychological report revealed that the issue started six years ago. The magistrate noted that the case had been heavily covered by the media, and that the actor had managed to get some positive press reports after saving a woman from an attack in 2018.
The magistrate warned the actor that he would not be able to claim fame for his good deeds. He noted that the negative media coverage of his case would only serve to reinforce the positive reports that had already been released. The actor was most recently on Home and Away, which ended in 2019.
As Mason Morgan, the actor appeared in the show as a character who had a lot of plot lines. Some of these included going down in a plane crash, being shot during a hospital siege, and getting caught with drugs. If his bail application is successful, he will be allowed to stay in the community as his appeal is being processed.