AC/DC’s Drummer Is Innocent of ‘Attempting to Procure Murder’

Prosecutors in New Zealand dropped the “attempting to procure murder charge” against AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd on Friday morning, a day after the rocker was arrested during a high-profile police raid on his home.

The crown solicitor in the city of Tauranga cited a lack of evidence as the reason for dropping the charge, the New Zealand Herald reported.

However, Rudd, 60, still faces charges of “threatening to kill” and two counts of possession of cannabis and methamphetamine.

The sensational allegations that the famed drummer had tried to hire a hit man to murder two individuals and had threatened to kill a third were quickly picked up by media outlets worldwide on Thursday.

On Friday, Rudd’s attorney Paul Mabey blasted New Zealand police for publicly charging Rudd without first consulting prosecutors. He described the damage done to Rudd’s reputation by the move as “incalculable.”

[New Zealand Herald]