Things aren't going well for AC/DC lately. Recently, their founding guitarist Malcolm Young left the band after his family announced he was suffering from dementia. Now drummer Phil Rudd has been charged with attempting to procure murder of two men in New Zealand. He has appeared in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court where he was charged with the attempted murder as well as drug charges and was subsequently released on bail. The identities of the intended victims and potential hitman have been suppressed by the judge.

Not too long ago, As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis has been sentenced to six years in prison in a San Diego Superior Courtroom for attempting to hire a hitman to kill his wife.




The 60-year-old Phil Rudd was also charged with threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. Rudd was arrested at his Tauranga home and appeared in Tauranga District Court. Under New Zealand law, attempting "to procure any person to murder any other person" is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

He has been bailed to his home until his next court appearance on November 27th. Australian-born Rudd has lived in New Zealand since the 1980s and owns restaurant Phil's Place in Tauranga.

Rudd was a notable absentee from AC/DC's recent promotional material in the lead-up to the release of the band's first album in six years, Rock Or Bust. The first image released to promote the album did not feature Rudd and he was absent from video shoots as well. Lead singer Brian Johnson reportedly told fans Rudd was not at one of the video shoots because of a "family emergency".

Source:	smh.com.au
Band profile:	AC/DC