Phil Rudd — AC/DC Drummer Goes Down in Tauranga

The waves crash just down the road, making a constant rumble. On November 6, 2014, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was arrested right here at his home in Tauranga. He faced charges of trying to arrange the murder of two people, threatening to kill one of them, and for having methamphetamine and cannabis.

The charge about procuring murder was dropped later, but the threats and drug charges remained. Police found the drugs at his property here in Tauranga, and he had threatened a former staff member.

He pleaded guilty in April 2015. At his sentencing in July 2015, the judge told the 61-year-old that his "more than 40 year-long rockstar lifestyle has finally caught up with him." He was sentenced to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay $120,000 in reparation to the victim. The judge noted that Rudd intended to intimidate his victim.

Just weeks into his home detention, Rudd was back in court for possessing and consuming alcohol, which was a breach of his conditions. He appealed his conviction and sentence but lost in October 2015. The judge also noted that only $50,000 of the reparation had been paid at that point, and there was no evidence he was entirely free of drug use. Rudd never returned to AC/DC.