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AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd today made a surprise guilty plea on a charge of threatening to kill, with his lawyer describing the veteran rocker’s offence as “just an angry phone call”.
Rudd had previously denied all allegations against him, but changed his plea on the first day of his trial at Tauranga District Court in New Zealand, also admitting two minor drug possession charges.

As a result, judge Robert Woolff adjourned the matter after just 10 minutes and extended Rudd’s bail until a sentencing hearing on June 26.
While threatening to kill carries a potential jail term of seven years, Rudd’s solicitor Craig Tuck, a human rights lawyer, said the 60-year-old would apply for a discharge without conviction.
“What we can see now is that this matter was essentially just an angry phone call that resulted in police getting a search warrant … that was it,” Tuck told reporters outside the court.
An unusual loophole in New Zealand law gives a judge the discretion not to enter a conviction even in cases where a defendant has pleaded guilty. A judge can do this if he or she thinks the consequences of a conviction outweigh the seriousness of the crime, a move which can allow a defendant to keep a clean record.
The judge in the case, Robert Wolff, said he would not enter a conviction against Rudd before hearing Tuck’s arguments.
Rudd was arrested in November at his waterfront mansion in the North Island coastal town of Tauranga, with court documents revealing he was accused of threatening to kill a former employee.
He was allegedly upset about poor organisation at a function to launch his solo album Head Job in August.
Rudd threw a party at his marina restaurant, Phil’s Place, to celebrate the launch. He was the toast of the town that night, and even the mayor of Tauranga attended. But as the night progressed, Rudd became concerned that security wasn’t tight enough.
About four weeks later, he called an associate, who was on vacation in Australia, to say he wanted the ex-employee “taken out”, then phoning the man and threatening his life. When asked to clarify, Rudd said he wanted the victim “taken care of”, according to the court summary.
In a later phone call, he allegedly offered the associate “NZ$200,000 [HK$1.19 million], a motorbike, one of his cars or a house” as payment for carrying out the request.

“The defendant was angry that the album launch did not go well,” the court summary said. “As a result he sacked a number of people from his employment and professional team. This included, among other people, the victim who he was particularly angry with.”
When police raided Rudd’s home, they found 0.478 grams of methamphetamine and 91 grams of cannabis, the documents said.
Rudd initially faced another charge of “attempting to procure murder”, but it was dropped after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence.
A second charge of threatening to kill – relating to the ex-employee’s daughter – was dropped today.
Australian-born Rudd, who has lived in New Zealand since 1983, arrived at court in a luxury gull-wing Mercedes and was dressed conservatively in a blue jacket and tie.
He said nothing to a waiting media throng, in contrast to previous appearances when he had dressed casually and made rude gestures to reporters.
Rudd’s lawyers have previously said the dropped murder-for-hire charge caused “incalculable damage” to the drummer.
Asked how his client’s reputation has suffered as a result of the case, Tuck replied: “We’ve got a team of lawyers looking at that right now.”
Rudd first joined AC/DC in 1975 and left in 1983, only to return 11 years later.
He was part of the AC/DC line-up inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and won a Grammy for best hard rock performance with the band for War Machine in 2010.
But the legal woes threaten to end his involvement with the hard rockers permanently, as a conviction would make it difficult for him to tour with the band.
It is unclear whether Rudd has a future with the Australian rock band he’s been part of on-and-off for almost four decades. The band intends to use Welsh drummer Chris Slade – who drummed for the band in the early 1990s – for its upcoming “Rock or Bust” album tour. But the band has not said if that is a long-term arrangement.
It was the second major line-up change for AC/DC. Malcolm Young, the rhythm guitarist who founded the band with his brother Angus, was placed in a care facility late last year as he suffers dementia.


AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to kill threat charge

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd today made a surprise guilty plea on a charge of threatening to kill an associate. Photo: AP

Australian-born Phil Rudd, who has lived in New Zealand since 1983, arrived at court in a luxury gull-wing Mercedes and was dressed conservatively in a blue jacket and tie. Photo: AFP

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AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd today made a surprise guilty plea on a charge of threatening to kill, with his lawyer describing the veteran rocker’s offence as “just an angry phone call”.
