AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads not guilty to charges

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd appears in the High Court for charges of drug posession and threatening to kill, at the District Court in Tauranga, New Zealand, 26 November 2014EPA

Mr Rudd's case will be called again in February

The drummer of rock band AC/DC has pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs.

Phil Rudd was excused from appearing in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court, with his lawyer entering his plea.

The 60-year-old Australian-born musician was originally charged with attempting to procure the murder of two men.

That charge was dropped because of a lack of evidence.

In an earlier ruling, the names of the alleged murder targets and that of the alleged hit-man were suppressed.

Crown prosecutor Greg Hollister-Jones on Tuesday applied for witness names and any statements they made to be suppressed, according to New Zealand media outlet stuff.co.nz.

The court agreed but ruled that because of strong public interest in the case, details of the charges and a summary of facts should be released by the Crown.

Mr Rudd remains on bail and his case will be called again in February.

The drummer was kicked out of AC/DC in 1983 and rejoined in 1994.

He did not appear in a new photo of band members released in October to promote their upcoming album Rock Or Bust, and was reportedly absent from the filming of a new music video, prompting online speculation about whether he was still in the band.

Profile: AC/DC

  • One of Australia's biggest music exports and among the highest grossing music acts of all time.

  • Known for top hits such as Highway to Hell, You Shook Me All Night Long, Back in Black, Hell's Bells and Dirty Deeds Done Cheap.

  • The band was founded by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in 1973, who named it after the abbreviation for "alternating current direct current" - hence the lightning bolt on their logo.

  • Angus, the lead guitarist, is known for his schoolboy outfits which he still wears for performances.

  • The Young brothers were the only original members in the band for decades until Malcolm's departure in 2014 after he was diagnosed with dementia.

  • More than a dozen people have been part of the band over the years, including late singer Bon Scott who died of alcohol poisoning in 1980.

  • The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

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