AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd can’t seem to stay out of trouble these days. Just days after he was sentenced to home detention for threatening to kill a man who used to work for him, it looks like 61-year-old drummer is back behind bars in New Zealand.
According to the Associated Press, 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. The New Zealand Herald reported that Rudd had prostitutes in his waterfront home when he was taken into custody, but it’s unclear what was behind the latest arrest.
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.”
In that case, the judge was strict with Rudd telling him that this was his last chance at freedom, and that if he broke his probation he’d go straight to jail. He told Rudd:
“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.”
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 Associated Press. 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. Police also found marijuana and methamphetamine in several parts of Rudd’s home during a raid, the court summary said.
It’s unclear whether Rudd has a future with AC/DC at this point. The band 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.
