‘Home and Away’ star Orpheus Pledger arrested after three-day manhunt

The former Home and Away actor Orpheus Pledger has been arrested by Australian police at the end of a three-day manhunt.

The 30-year-old, who played Mason Morgan on the soap from 2016 to 2019, is now facing four charges for allegedly assaulting a woman.

The actor had been granted bail on Monday (April 22), in order to undergo a medical assessment, under instructions to return the following day.

Pledger, however, did not show up in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, leading a judge to issue an arrest warrant and to appeal for public information.

He was finally detained by Victoria Police in Melbourne yesterday (April 25), after three days of searching. The authorities have not supplied further details on his detention.

Pledger is now required to appear before the same court on May 10.

Aside from his role in Home and Away, Pledger has also played a brief role in Neighbours in 2011, and has appeared in a number of Australian television shows, including CrashBurn and Silversun, both of which he appeared in as a child star.

He was also a contestant on season three of SAS Australia: Who Dares Wins, although he left the show after two days when the producers became concerned about his “erratic behaviour” on the set.

Pledger’s manager, Craig McMahon, spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald this week, explaining that he had not been in contact with the actor since he failed to show up in court, adding that he had been shocked by the assault allegations.

McMahon added that Pledger had been struggling with metal health issues in recent times.

“I have no doubt Orpheus has been completely let down by the system, and I can only imagine how many other people out there needing help – and needing help desperately – are not getting it,” McMahon told the Melbourne Age.