AC/DC drummer pleads guilty on threat, drug charges
TAURANGA, New Zealand -- AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has pleaded guilty in a New Zealand court to charges of threatening to kill, as well as possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Rudd faces up to seven years in prison on the threatening to kill charge, although his lawyer is seeking a remedy that would involve no legal consequences for Rudd. The 60-year-old drummer was released on bail Tuesday pending a June sentencing hearing.
Police had initially accused Rudd of trying to arrange for a hit man to carry out two killings, and had charged him with attempting to procure murder, which comes with a maximum 10-year sentence. But when prosecutors took over the case, they quickly dropped the charge.
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.