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AC/DC's Phil Rudd arrives late for court and jumps onto security guard's back

Los Angeles - AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd turned up late for his court appearance.

The 60-year-old percussionist was charged with threatening to kill and possession of drugs earlier this month and behaved strangely during his short time in front of the judge in Tauranga, New Zealand.

After missing the scheduled time of his hearing, a judge was forced to issue an arrest warrant, but this was revoked minutes later when he arrived at the courthouse.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported the musician exhibited odd behaviour once the hearing began, winking at reporters who were present for the case, and drumming a rhythm on the dock with his hand while the judge spoke.

When departing the building, Phil jumped onto the back of his security guard who then carried him to a sports car.

The star - who is known for being in the band which created hits such as Back In Black and Highway To Hell - was originally charged with attempting to arrange a murder as well as the other incidents, but this was dropped a day later due to a lack of evidence.

Instead, the father-of-six was accused of possessing the illegal substances methamphetamine and cannabis, but chose not to enter a plea during the appearance.

Earlier this month, Phil's AC/DC bandmates Angus Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Stevie Young issued a statement which said the arrest would not impact the band's plans to release their upcoming album Rock or Bust, or their subsequent tour.

The statement read: "Phil's absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock or Bust and upcoming tour next year."

Speaking to US radio host Howard Stern recently, 59-year-old Angus revealed Phil will be staying in the band despite facing possible jail time.

He said: "I don't think we need to do any firing. The situation will take care of itself. He has gotten himself into a pickle. There is nothing we can do about it."

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