AC/DC drummer put behind the bars for breaking home detention rules

Phil Rudd, 61, the Australian-born AC/DC drummer, appeared in a New Zealand court on Monday to deny charges of breaching the conditions of his home detention. He was remanded in custody on bail and is set to appear for trial on November 24.

Last month, Rudd was arrested from his home, in Tauranga, New Zealand’s North Island, with charges of consuming and possessing alcohol. He was under eight month home detention for threatening to kill an employee. One of the conditions of his statement was abstinence from alcohol.

He had pleaded not guilty over the charge but prosecutor Anna Pollett said “there was very strong evidence” supporting the charge and the matter could extend to a judge-alone hearing, AFP reported. Even though Rudd spoke briefly to the reporters gathered outside the court, his laywer did not allow any question relating to the case.

When he was sentenced to home detention on July 9, he was warned by judge Thomas Ingram that if he did not abide by the conditions that have been put upon him, he would be sent to prison. "I stone cold guarantee that's where you'll end up. I'm not your headmaster, I'm not your father, I'm a judge," Justice Ingram had said.

Rudd is not only barred from drinking alcohol but is also prohibited from ingesting unprescribed drugs. Also, he was not allowed to leave his large waterfront mansion in Tauranga without proper permission from the concerned authorities. Rudd had been kept under electronic monitoring so that he could be under constant vigilance.

Rudd was initially arrested on charges of threatening to kill an employee after the launch of his solo album was busted. But the charge was dropped later due to lack of proper evidence.

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