Former AC/DC Drummer PHIL RUDD Pleads Not Guilty To Breaching Detention Rules

August 3, 2015, 8 years ago

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Former AC/DC Drummer PHIL RUDD Pleads Not Guilty To Breaching Detention Rules

The Reuters news agency recently reported that former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested in New Zealand where he lives just 10 days after being sentenced to home detention.

According to a new report by ABC News, issued August 3rd, Rudd pleaded not guilty to breaching the rules of his home detention sentence by drinking alcohol.

A New Zealand judge allowed Rudd to remain in home confinement on bail pending a November hearing on the possible breach.

The 61-year-old Australian-born drummer could face further sanctions, including jail time, if the judge concludes Rudd was in breach of his conditions. However, drinking alcohol would likely be considered on the lower end of potential breaches.

Asked by reporters after the hearing if he was nervous about what lay ahead in the case, Rudd replied: "No, the only thing I'm nervous about is I don't, I don't actually don't know what's going on."

Asked how he would be spending time on bail, he responded with a lopsided grin "Self-improvement," before his lawyer hustled him into a waiting car.

Rudd's erratic behavior outside the courthouse has become a feature of his recent appearances. At one hearing he clowned around by jumping on the back of a security guard; at another he raised his middle fingers to journalists. He typically doesn't wear dentures, sometimes making his soft-spoken answers difficult to understand.

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Rudd, who on July 10th was sentenced to eight months home detention after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs, is being held in custody in New Zealand, the Australian Associated Press reported, citing his lawyer, Craig Tuck.

The 61-year-old musician appeared in court in Tauranga district on Monday morning, where according to the Otaga Daily Times he was detained because police believed he had been drinking. Rudd has been charged with possessing and consuming alcohol — a breach of the conditions of an eight-month home detention sentence handed down to earlier this month.

The arrest is the latest blow to the rock musician who was unable to join AC/DC for their 2015 Rock or Bust tour due to legal problems.

Rudd has reportedly lodged an appeal against his sentence of eight months under house arrest for drug possession and threatening to kill. Though Rudd pleaded guilty to the charges, he insisted throughout the trial that his actions were the result of a "methamphetamine-induced psychosis."

The drummer reportedly hoped to have all the charges dropped claiming that he could lose "tens of millions of dollars" touring with AC/DC during the course of his home detention.

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According to the New Zealand Herald, significant new insights around the case emerged during the court proceedings. They included:

• Rudd has been meeting one-on-one with a specialist psychiatrist but authorities have remained concerned about his behaviour. It emerged ESR results showed Rudd had tested positive for cannabis in a test in December.

• The rocker put the threats he made to his former employee down to "methamphetamine-induced psychosis".

• Rudd has reconciled with his would-be victim and agreed to pay him a substantial sum of money in reparation - the Herald can not reveal the amount for legal reasons. Mr Tuck told the court a process that had "started badly" had "ended beautifully".

• Rudd's lawyer claimed that a conviction would result in losses in the tens of millions of dollars that would have came from being able to tour with AC/DC. The Crown cast doubt on this assertion, pointing out there was no direct evidence that Rudd was still a member of the band.

• Rudd's defence claimed while there was "uncertainty" about his place in AC/DC, it was "certainly not a closed door". The Crown however argued Rudd was not a member of AC/DC even before the time he was arrested in November.

• Rudd was concerned about people - half of many he claimed he didn't know - that were hanging around in his house, some of whom he described as "fleas". Their presence had led to phone the police on two occasions.

• Mr Tuck said Rudd had described the issues that stemmed from his drug use had resulted in "perfect storm" that "impacted heavily on those around me".

• Rudd's son, Steven Rudd, who was also in court today, described his father as having "a heart of gold" and it was "just when the drugs take over" that trouble began.

• An affidavit from Australian music industry heavyweight Michael Murchison, whose music touring credits include The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Madonna and The Sex Pistols, described how Rudd's behaviour had been "heart-wrenching" to see. "Phil needs help and many tears were shed by those close to him."

Go to this location for the complete New Zealand Herald article.



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