07-19-2015, 11:36 AM
AC/DC's Phil Rudd arrested again, days after getting home detention on threat to kill charge
FILE -
In this Thursday, July 9, 2015 file photo, former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd arrives for sentencing at the Tauranga District Court in
Tauranga, New Zealand. Rudd has been
arrested in New Zealand, just 10 days after he
was sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him.
The New Zealand Herald reported Sunday,
July 20 that Rudd was arrested at his New
Zealand home on Saturday, though police
refused to comment on the nature of the arrest.
(Alan Gibson/New Zealand Herald via AP, File) NEW ZEALAND OUT, AUSTRALIA OUT
Associated Press July 19, 2015 | 7:12 a.m. EDT
SYDNEY (AP) — AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was behind bars Sunday after being arrested in New Zealand, just days after he was sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him.
The 61-year-old Australian-born drummer was
arrested at his home on New Zealand's North
Island on Saturday night, though police refused to comment on the nature of the arrest, the New Zealand Herald reported. Rudd's lawyer, Craig Tuck, confirmed in an email Sunday that Rudd had been arrested and that he was due to appear in court on Monday for a bail application.
Tuck said he had just spent an hour with Rudd at the local police station, where he was being held until his court appearance.
Tuck declined to say why his client had been
arrested or to comment further. Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home
confinement on July 9 after pleading guilty to
threatening to kill a former employee and
possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.
In that case, Rudd acknowledged in a court
summary of facts that he'd offered cash,
vehicles and a house to an associate after
asking him to have the victim "taken out."
He also acknowledged that he'd directly said to the victim he was going to kill him.
Prosecutors had originally charged Rudd with murder-for-hire, but later dropped that charge, citing lack of evidence. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Thomas Ingram warned Rudd that he would go to prison if he breached the terms of his home detention, which banned him from taking any nonprescription drugs and subjected him to monitoring.
"I stone-cold guarantee that's where you'll end
up," Ingram told the drummer at the hearing. "I'm not your headmaster, I'm not your father — I'm a judge."
According to the court summary of facts, the
dispute between Rudd and his victim began in
August when Rudd threw a party at his
restaurant to celebrate the launch of his solo
album, "Head Job." Rudd felt the launch hadn't
gone well and subsequently fired several employees, including the victim, whose name
has been suppressed by the court.
Rudd later called an associate and told him he
wanted the victim "taken out," according to the
court summary. In another call, Rudd offered the associate "$200,000, a motorbike, one of his cars or a house," which the associate took to mean as payment for carrying out his earlier request.
Two hundred thousand New Zealand dollars is equivalent to about US$130,000.
The morning after calling his associate, Rudd called the victim directly, saying "I'm going to come over and kill you," according to the court
summary.
Police found marijuana and methamphetamine
in several parts of Rudd's home during a search of the house, the court summary said. They also found methamphetamine in his pocket.
It's unclear whether Rudd has a future with the
Australian rock band he's been part of on-and-
off for four decades. AC/DC is currently using
Welsh drummer Chris Slade for its "Rock or
Bust" album tour, but hasn't said whether that's a long-term arrangement.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FILE -
In this Thursday, July 9, 2015 file photo, former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd arrives for sentencing at the Tauranga District Court in
Tauranga, New Zealand. Rudd has been
arrested in New Zealand, just 10 days after he
was sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him.
The New Zealand Herald reported Sunday,
July 20 that Rudd was arrested at his New
Zealand home on Saturday, though police
refused to comment on the nature of the arrest.
(Alan Gibson/New Zealand Herald via AP, File) NEW ZEALAND OUT, AUSTRALIA OUT
Associated Press July 19, 2015 | 7:12 a.m. EDT
SYDNEY (AP) — AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was behind bars Sunday after being arrested in New Zealand, just days after he was sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him.
The 61-year-old Australian-born drummer was
arrested at his home on New Zealand's North
Island on Saturday night, though police refused to comment on the nature of the arrest, the New Zealand Herald reported. Rudd's lawyer, Craig Tuck, confirmed in an email Sunday that Rudd had been arrested and that he was due to appear in court on Monday for a bail application.
Tuck said he had just spent an hour with Rudd at the local police station, where he was being held until his court appearance.
Tuck declined to say why his client had been
arrested or to comment further. Rudd was sentenced to eight months of home
confinement on July 9 after pleading guilty to
threatening to kill a former employee and
possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.
In that case, Rudd acknowledged in a court
summary of facts that he'd offered cash,
vehicles and a house to an associate after
asking him to have the victim "taken out."
He also acknowledged that he'd directly said to the victim he was going to kill him.
Prosecutors had originally charged Rudd with murder-for-hire, but later dropped that charge, citing lack of evidence. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Thomas Ingram warned Rudd that he would go to prison if he breached the terms of his home detention, which banned him from taking any nonprescription drugs and subjected him to monitoring.
"I stone-cold guarantee that's where you'll end
up," Ingram told the drummer at the hearing. "I'm not your headmaster, I'm not your father — I'm a judge."
According to the court summary of facts, the
dispute between Rudd and his victim began in
August when Rudd threw a party at his
restaurant to celebrate the launch of his solo
album, "Head Job." Rudd felt the launch hadn't
gone well and subsequently fired several employees, including the victim, whose name
has been suppressed by the court.
Rudd later called an associate and told him he
wanted the victim "taken out," according to the
court summary. In another call, Rudd offered the associate "$200,000, a motorbike, one of his cars or a house," which the associate took to mean as payment for carrying out his earlier request.
Two hundred thousand New Zealand dollars is equivalent to about US$130,000.
The morning after calling his associate, Rudd called the victim directly, saying "I'm going to come over and kill you," according to the court
summary.
Police found marijuana and methamphetamine
in several parts of Rudd's home during a search of the house, the court summary said. They also found methamphetamine in his pocket.
It's unclear whether Rudd has a future with the
Australian rock band he's been part of on-and-
off for four decades. AC/DC is currently using
Welsh drummer Chris Slade for its "Rock or
Bust" album tour, but hasn't said whether that's a long-term arrangement.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.