Phil Rudd skips jail but faces music

Tauranga, New Zealand: AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd on Thursday avoided prison for drug possession and threatening to kill an employee, but a New Zealand judge warned him failure to kick a narcotics habit would result in jail time.

Rudd, 61, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court to eight months home detention after pleading guilty to the charges in April. The drummer faced a maximum seven years inside for threatening to kill an ex-employee, with prosecutors arguing for an 18-month term and the defence pleading for discharge without conviction.

Judge Thomas Ingram said Rudd’s criminal history meant home detention was appropriate, saying he’ld be closely monitored and imprisoned if drugs were found in his system.