AC/DC's Rudd in court for drinking while on bail
AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has denied breaching the rules of his home detention sentence by drinking alcohol.
A New Zealand judge has allowed Rudd to remain in home confinement on bail pending a November hearing.
The 61-year-old Australian-born rocker could face further sanctions, including jail time. Drinking alcohol, however, would probably be considered at the lower end of potential breaches.
Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home confinement on July 9 after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a former employee and possessing methamphetamine and marijuana.
He acknowledged in a court summary of facts that he offered cash, vehicles and a house to an associate after asking him to have the victim “taken out”. He also acknowledged that he said directly to the victim he was going to kill him.
Police arrested Rudd at his home on July 18, accusing him of possessing and drinking alcohol. He was subsequently given a new bail condition – that he undergo drug and alcohol testing whenever police request it.
It is unclear whether Rudd has any future with AC/DC, who are currently touring with Welsh drummer Chris Slade.
Rudd’s lawyer Craig Tuck said he was appealing against Rudd’s convictions and sentence.
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 court has become a feature of his recent appearances. At one hearing he clowned around by jumping on the back of a security guard and at another he raised his middle fingers to journalists.
He typically does not wear dentures, sometimes making his soft-spoken answers difficult to understand.
