A New Zealand judge threated to issue an arrest warrant for AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd after he failed to show up for his court hearing Wednesday morning (November 26).
Rudd was due to appear in the High Court at Tauranga at 9 a.m., according to Radio New Zealand. When the drummer didn’t show, Justice Timothy Brewer gave him until 9:30 a.m. to arrive before issuing the warrant. Rudd‘s attorney Paul Mabey told the judge he had spoken with his client but the musician was not present for the court proceedings.
After arriving around 15 minutes later, Rudd offered no plea to the three charges he faces: threatening to kill a man, methamphetamine and cannabis possession. He was remanded on bail, and his case was transferred to Tauranga District Court.
Rudd will next appear in court on December 2.
As he left court, Rudd nearly caused an accident by jumping into his car and backing into the path of an oncoming truck.
Check out photos of Rudd taken after the court hearing at Radio New Zealand.
On November 6, Rudd was charged with attempting to “procure murder” by New Zealand police but the charge was dropped a day later by the Crown Solicitor Greg Hollister-Jones after a meeting with Mabey, and police. Mabey said that Hollister-Jones reviewed the case and concluded that “there was insufficient evidence to justify that charge. He has now withdrawn the charge.”
Mabey added that Rudd had “suffered unnecessary and extremely damaging publicity as a result of widespread and sensational reporting of a very serious allegation, which on any basis was never justified.”
The 60-year-old drummer was alleged to have tried to hire a hitman to kill two men in late September.
Source: Blabbermouth
