Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, who pleaded guilty in April to charges of murder threats and possession of marijuana and methamphetamine, was sentenced to eight months home detention in New Zealand on Thursday.
Rudd, 61, will be electronically monitored in his home and must complete a rehabilitation program, according to TVNZ. Judge Thomas Ingram made the sentencing and told the musician that he was giving Rudd the help he needs. According to Bay of Plenty Times, Ingram said, “The reality, Mr. Rudd, is this. I consider you badly need help with your drug problem and I consider the best way to deal with that is to give you the sentence I’ve given you here.”
The judge told Rudd that he would be sent to prison if he violated his sentence. “I stone cold guarantee that’s where you’ll end up,” Ingram said, according to Stuff.co.nz. “I’m not your headmaster; I’m not your father. I’m a judge.”
Rudd’s lawyer, Craig Tuck, has already filed an appeal on the sentencing since it would cause the drummer to miss out on AC/DC’s tour dates, according to NBC News. However, Judge Ingram seems to think the band will do just fine without Rudd. “Queen replaced Freddie Mercury,” Ingram said, according to CNN, “and your band is touring without you now.”
Last year, AC/DC bassist, Cliff Williams, and guitarist, Angus Young, told The Huffington Post that including Rudd on the band’s 2015 world tour was “a bit of a question mark” at the time. Young revealed that the band had issues with Rudd not showing up to the studio and video shoots in the past. “Phil’s got to sort himself out,” Young said.
In November, Rudd was charged with “attempting to procure murder,” in addition to drug possession. However, the murder threat charges were dropped a day later due to “insufficient evidence.” The musician initially denied the allegations, but changed his plea in April.
In May, the ex AC/DC member spoke about his run in with the law. “I’ve seen the error of my ways,” he told Australia’s “A Current Affair,” adding, “we all make mistakes.”
For more, head to Stuff.co.nz.
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