AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to threatening to kill and drug charges
AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs.
Rudd, 60, was due to stand trial on Tuesday at the Tauranga district court in New Zealand but he changed his plea to guilty before the trial began.
Rudd was arrested in November and charged over an incident on 26 September in which, according to a police summary of facts, Rudd rang a man he knew and threatened to kill both him and his daughter.
He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.
The drugs charges were laid after police executed a search warrant at Rudd’s home on 6 November.
Phil Rudd flanked by security as he leaves court on Tuesday. Photograph: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images
Police say Rudd had 0.71g of methamphetamine and 130g of cannabis in his possession.
He was also charged with attempting to procure a murder when he appeared in court in November, but the charge was dropped the following day.
AC/DC in February announced it had replaced Rudd with former drummer Chris Slade ahead of its Rock or Bust world tour.
Rudd played on recording sessions for the album by the same name, but was unable to promote the album late last year while dealing with the charges.
Rudd was remanded on bail for sentencing on 26 June. His lawyer said he would be applying for a discharge without conviction.
Judge Robert Woolff did not enter a conviction after Rudd’s guilty pleas.