Pledger was meant to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court remotely to finalise a bail application. Charged with injury and unlawful assault, he has been on remand since March 27 when his bail was refused.
His lawyer Jasper MacCuspie revealed on Tuesday that Pledger had absconded from the hospital.
The alleged assault is said to have taken place on March 25 when police attended a call from a home in Melbourne’s suburbs at 1.35am. A woman was taken to hospital with bruising on her neck and minor lacerations on her cheek.
The footage of the assault was shown in court, after which Magistrate Justin Foster said, “It’s reasonably clear that he stomped on [the woman’s] head.”
The 25-second clip allegedly shows the accused approaching the woman before grabbing her and pulling her to the ground before stomping on her head. It has also been alleged that bruising on the woman’s face matches the soles of a pair of shoes belonging to Pledger.
During Pledger’s bail application, the court considered the risk to the public and the alleged victim, as well as the actor’s need for mental health and drug abuse treatment.
Court documents allege Pledger is at an “extreme risk of further assaulting” the alleged victim, while his lawyer argued that his client’s mental health would suffer if he remained in custody.
Royal Melbourne Hospital has been contacted by the court regarding Pledger’s long wait for treatment, but has not replied. Pledger’s bail was revoked, and his case will be heard again on May 10.
Pledger first appeared on screen in The Secret Life of Us in 2001 at just 8 years old. He’s also appeared on Silversun and Neighbours, though he’s best known for starring in Home and Away from 2016 to 2019.
More recently, he featured on SAS Australia in 2022 but left the show amid concerns from the cast and crew over his “erratic behaviour”.
