AC/DC Drummer PHIL RUDD Loses Appeal

According to 3 News, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has lost an appeal following his recent sentencing to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

Rudd has been meeting with a specialist psychiatrist but authorities remain concerned about his behavior.

He has also reconciled with his would-be victim and agreed to pay him a substantial sum of money in reparation.

Rudd's lawyer, Craig Tuck, argued the drummer should have been discharged without conviction and appealed against his sentence on the basis that it was "manifestly excessive,"

In a High Court judgment released on Tuesday, Justice Raynor Asher said he had to decide whether the consequences of a conviction were out of all proportion to the gravity of the offense.

"In my view they are not," he said. "Even with the convictions, Mr. Rudd may practice as a musician in session work and in concerts in New Zealand and in other countries."

Rudd recently told Rolling Stone in an interview that the charge levied against him last November of "threatening to kill" was a "complete crock of shit" and that he is certain that he would get his job with AC/DC back if he could have "five minutes in a room with" guitarist and band leader Angus Young.

Rudd is seeing a court-appointed psychiatrist named Rupert Bird, who specializes in methamphetamine psychosis and who the drummer said is "helping me through my imbalances and personal issues."

Rudd is also in a rehab program and is not allowed to have alcohol in his house, although he was arrested for a second time recently when a female guest brought alcohol to his place — a charge he'll face in court in November.

The charge of threatening to kill was the result of him reportedly trying to hire someone to "take out" his personal assistant after Rudd was angered by the poor launch of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job".

But Rudd maintains that he never asked for anyone to be killed, although he later apologized to the man he threatened. He explained, "I wasn't handling it very well. The whole thing was a little bit too much for me. But the threatening charge is just a complete crock of shit. I wouldn't do that."

As for his status with AC/DC, which seems to be nonexistent at the moment, Rudd said, "All I'm looking for is an opportunity to step back up. Once I get back my freedom to travel, I'll hopefully be heading straight back to whatever they're doing. I feel great. Better than I've ever felt before. I'm very keen to get back in the saddle."

Rudd added, "Me and Angus kicked serious ass and he knows if I was there, it would be better. I know he knows that, because I've proven it before. Just give me five minutes in a room with him and I'll get my job back."

Rudd hopes that he can possibly play with the band when they tour Australia and New Zealand in November, saying, "I'm ready to go. Never been fitter. Never been more passionate. I'm more dangerous than I've ever been."