A HOME and Away star has been sentenced to six months in prison after breaching a court order.
Former telly hunk Orpheus Pledger, 32, was sentenced at Victoria County Court today, reports the Herald Sun.
Orpheus Pledger was sentenced to jail after breaching a court order[/caption]
The actor was a household name in Australia[/caption]
Judge Michael Tinney deducted the 127 days Pledger has already spent in custody from the sentence.
The actor, who was criticised by Tinney for “frittering away” the opportunity to turn his life around, has had a troubled 18 months.
Last August, he was sentenced to seven months in jail at the same court after brutally attacking a woman.
However, three months later the sentence was changed to a two-year community correction order.
It was the repeated violation of this order that saw him hauled back before the court.
Pledger had 19 unexplained absences, used methamphetamine and cannabis, and on June 23 returned to his victim’s home, prompting an emergency call to cops.
The TV star completed 30 hours of his required 150 hours of community service prior to his arrest.
The actor blamed illness and public transport for failing to comply with his order, while the court heard how he “ducked and weaved” around compulsory drug tests.
Pledger, who is on anti-psychotic medication, was also said to have lowered his dosage without consulting a doctor.
His lawyer claimed he did not realise the gravity of his court order.
After his arrest for the attack last year, Pledger went missing following an assessment at the Royal Melbourne Hospital while under police guard.
It sparked a warrant for his arrest and a high-profile three-day manhunt.
The actor was previously arrested on drug charges in 2021 after he was found carrying crystal meth and valium.
He was handed a good behaviour order for six months, made to complete a drug awareness course plus pay a £78 fine ($150aud).
He was also spared a criminal record and did not appear in court to face the charges.
Pledger shot to stardom as a child actor at just eight years old after his role in the kids series Sliversun.
He later joined the cast of Neighbours as Noah Parkin in 2011 and then appeared on the hit show Home and Away as Mason Morgan, starring in 339 episodes between 2016 and 2019.
The actor chose to leave the role in 2019 and was killed off in the season finale in November.
In February 2022, he starred in season three of SAS Australia but voluntarily withdrew after just two days.
He left during a psychological evaluation with Ant Middleton and Doctor Dan where they discussed his erratic behaviour.
He brutally attacked a woman last year[/caption]
Pledger as Mason Morgan in Home and Away[/caption]