AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to threatening to kill

Image: AP Images/Associated Press



Rudd acknowledged in a court summary of facts that he'd offered large amounts of cash, vehicles and a house to an associate after asking him to have the victim "taken out" and that he'd also directly said to the victim he was going to kill him.


Rudd arrived at the Tauranga court house in a sports car wearing sunglasses and a red tie, and didn't say anything during his brief appearance other than to enter his guilty pleas.

It's 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 for its upcoming "Rock or Bust" album tour but hasn't said if that's a long-term arrangement.


According to the court summary, the dispute began in August on the night that Rudd released his solo album, "Head Job."

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.

"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."




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. He tried to call the victim again a couple of times after that but the man didn't pick up.

"As a result of threats made by the defendant, the victim was genuinely very fearful of his safety," the summary of facts stated.

Rudd's defense appeared to be making the argument that only Rudd's call to the victim remained relevant because prosecutors had dropped the murder-for-hire charge.

"What we can see now was that this matter was just essentially an angry phone call," Tuck said after the hearing. "They turned up at his home, nine police officers, a dog, media ..."

The summary also outlines the Nov. 6 search of Rudd's home when police found the drugs. When police arrived, Rudd was wearing jeans but no shirt, according to the summary.

"While being spoken to by the police, the defendant reached out to move a container containing cannabis crumbs from the coffee table and place it on the floor out of sight," the summary says.




The judge in the case, Robert Wolff, said he would not enter a conviction against Rudd before hearing Tuck's arguments.


Tuck said the case had done enormous damage to Rudd's reputation and he was looking into legal remedies for that.