AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has lost his appeal against a string of recent convictions in New Zealand.
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Tauranga-based AC/DC rocker Phil Rudd has had his High Court appeal dismissed today.
But in a judgment out on Tuesday, Justice Asher revealed that only $50,000 of the $120,000 in reparation has been paid, as Rudd has been waiting on an asset to be sold.
According to 3 News, Rudd’s latest appeal against the conviction has been rejected and the musician has been meeting with a specialist psychiatrist.
He said he had to decide whether the consequences of a conviction were out of all proportion to the gravity of the offence.
Justice Asher commented on the band’s situation, referring to Rudd’s potential loss of income from the sentence. Second, the convictions would have to operate as a barrier to him travelling with them on tour.
“It is far from clear that, when the offending took place, there was any place in the band available to Mr Rudd, given his drug addiction and state of mind”. He was reportedly upset with the security professional’s poor organization at a launch party for his solo album, and after telling an associate he wanted the man “taken out”, he phoned the man directly.
Rudd had faced up to seven years behind bars for threatening the life of his former security chief in September last year.
Rudd has not played live with AC/DC since his arrest.
Rudd has been allowed to remain in home confinement on bail until a hearing regarding the alleged breach in November.
“That resulted in police getting a search warrant for, believe it or not, possession of cannabis own use and possession of a cellphone”, Tuck told Sun Media.
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Rudd initially faced another charge of “attempting to procure murder”, but it was dropped after prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence.
