Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has escaped a return to jail after pleading not guilty to the latest charges laid against him.
He was last month sentenced to eight months of home confinement for making death threats and possession of drugs, following a raid on his New Zealand home in November.
But less than a fortnight later he returned to Tauranga District Court after being accused of breaching the terms of his home arrest by drinking.
Judge Louis Bidois, remanding him without plea, had warned him he could be sent to prison if found guilty of the latest charges, and added the requirement that he undergo alcohol and drug tests on police request.
Today in court Rudd, wearing a leather jacket with an AC/DC logo on the back, was allowed to return home, pending another hearing in November. Judge RP Wolff described the situation as “relatively straightforward.”
The 61-year-old said outside: “The only thing I’m nervous about is I don’t actually know what’s going on.” He said he’d celebrate his homecoming with a cup of tea and that he’d spend the rest of his confinement on: “self-improvement.”
His lawyer, Craig Tuck, said an appeal against the conviction and sentence would continue. AC/DC continue their Rock Or Bust world tour with returned drummer Chris Slade in Rudd’s place.