Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger has been released from custody on strict bail conditions juts days after admitting to the brutal assault of a woman.
Pledger appeared before Melbourne Magistrate's Court in prison greys for the second time on Wednesday as his solicitor pleaded his case to be bailed.
He walked free from the court on Wednesday afternoon after a magistrate ruled he could spend the next six weeks living at his jazz musician father's home.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit and clutching documents, Pledger was greeted by a large pack of TV cameras but declined to answer questions as a supporter pulled him to a nearby car.
He kept his head down as he entered a white Nissan X-Trail while the driver beeped the horn several times at photographers.
The former TV star had been expected to be sentenced by magistrate Justin Foster.
He adjourned the matter for six weeks earlier on Wednesday, which would have left Pledger behind bars for an 'extensive' CCO assessment.
Pledger's solicitor, Jasper MacCuspie, argued the assessment wasn't necessary as the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) reported that he no longer met the requirements for involuntary treatment in custody.
Magistrate Foster granted Pledger's release on the condition that he resides at his father's home in Wahgunyah, along the northwest border of Victoria and NSW.
He also ordered Pledger report to police once a week in Cowra, just across the border, and be held to a curfew between 11pm and 6am.
His successful bid for freedom follows just 96 days in remand broken up by a three day manhunt launched after he fled a hospital while on a one-day bail agreement.
The former soap star on Monday pleaded guilty to a raft of charges relating to a savage attack on a woman at a Melbourne home in the early hours of March 25.
The vicious assault was captured by a motion-activated camera owned by Pledger which showed him grabbing the victim's hair and throwing her to the ground before stomping on her head.
Pledger nodded from the dock as Mr MacCuspie relayed his intentions to follow the proposed bail conditions and engage with supports available while released.
He then stared intently at the magistrate as he weighed up potential risks to the community after a series of missteps following the vicious attack.
The victim called Triple Zero warning police Pledger was in the midst of a mental health incident on the fateful night, the court previously heard.
She was heard saying 'he's coming' before the line cut out.
Police arrived 15 minutes later and found the woman lying on the ground while Pledger was nowhere to be seen.
Images of the woman's injuries from the attack show bruises on the side of her face that bore a 'similar resemblance' to the sole pattern of Vans sneakers he owned.
He was arrested two days later and remanded in custody until April 15 when he was bailed for one day to receive a mental health assessment at the Northern Hospital.
Pledger fled from the hospital after telling staff he would 'kill' the victim numerous times, sparking a three-day manhunt before he was arrested for a second time.
The court heard that when a family member told him he needed to return to custody, Pledger replied: 'Why? I haven't done anything wrong'.
Magistrate Foster fumed when told Pledger had escaped from the hospital, saying he 'bent over backwards' to approve the bail condition.
Police prosecutors opposed the bail application due to the risk of Pledger yet again breaking bail conditions and that a CCO assessment hadn't been completed.
Magistrate Foster also raised concerns over granting bail without a conclusion to whether Pledgers offences were 'drug-induced or (due to) a mental health issue'.
The Forensicare report however stated that Pledger had turned a corner after being detained for a second time and showed signs of an improved mental state.
Mr MacCuspie told the court that he had been transferred from involuntary treatment to general population without incident.
'He hasn't profoundly enjoyed his time in custody ... but it does appear he has stabilised and appears to be doing better,' he said.
The lawyer said his client 'accepts that he should have returned to court' when he fled on bail in April, adding: 'the position he is in today is different than than'.
The report trumped a letter from Corrections Victoria to Magistrate Foster requesting Pledger be remanded for six weeks for an 'extensive' CCO assessment.
Corrections argued his 'complex needs' required more than one day to assess if he was fit to be released into the public.
Mr MacCuspie said extending Pledger's time behind bars would be 'prejudicial against Mr Pledger' and 'isn't appropriate in this circumstance'.
'He comes before the court with few priors and the first time being charged with anything of this severity,' he said.
The court heard on Monday that Pledger had a successful acting career which peaked with 339 episodes in popular soap opera Home and Away.
But he suffered a devastating blow to his career when a role on a US television show fell through at the 11th hour, and sent the actor into a downward spiral.
Pledger started associating with an 'antisocial' crowd and using methamphetamines recreationally which he admitted in court was effecting him at the time of the attack.
'(Pledger has) self-confessed troubles with drugs and perhaps some underlying mental health issues,' Mr MacCuspie told the court.
He argued those issues are usual for matters before a magistrate's court and questioned how Pledger is 'more complex' than others cleared for a CCO.
The court heard on Monday that Pledger had rekindled a relationship with his father while being held on remand after losing contact as a child.
Mr MacCuspie relayed his client's intentions to learn how to play music from his musician father while residing 'as far removed from the victim as possible'.
He will be required to return to court on August 16.