Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Getting both sides of story told - Phil Rudd's lawyer

Kiri Gillespie
By Kiri Gillespie
Assistant News Director and Multimedia Journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
22 Dec, 2014 07:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd leaving Tauranga District Court with his lawyer, Craig Tuck, on December 4. Photo / File

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd leaving Tauranga District Court with his lawyer, Craig Tuck, on December 4. Photo / File

AC/DC rocker Phil Rudd is fighting to reclaim a tattered reputation as his lawyer describes police handling of an attempt to procure murder charge as "inept and irresponsible".

Yesterday, Rudd spoke out for the first time since November 6 when police raided his Bureta home resulting in a highly publicised arrest which attracted international attention, saying: "Whatever happened to giving people a fair go?"

Rudd added that local support since the charges were laid had been overwhelming.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times, Rudd's lawyer Craig Tuck said the procuring murder charge was dropped immediately when lawyers got involved and remaining charges would be defended.

"We are looking into what appears to be inept and irresponsible policing practices," Mr Tuck said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said a team of international lawyers was working to ascertain the extent of damages and appropriate reparation and relief to Rudd's 40-year career.

After police raided the 60-year-old rocker's Bureta home on November 6, Rudd was charged with attempting to procure murder, threatening to kill, and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

However, police then withdrew the attempting to procure murder charge the next day.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Tuck told the Bay of Plenty Times that he questioned the procedure taken in which he alleged a police officer laid the charge at Tauranga District Court, before having it reviewed by a more senior officer or police prosecution staff - contrary to the standard protocol.

Rudd was arrested the next day as police officers raided his Harbour Drive home.

"We are looking at [spending] significant resources to fully explore the police procedures prior to a search warrant being executed..." Mr Tuck said.

Mr Tuck said it remained concerning that despite lawyers arriving at Rudd's home within 15 minutes of the police search beginning, the media were already there.

Discover more

AC/DC's Phil Rudd arrested, again, after fracas

04 Dec 04:59 AM

Phil's Place Restaurant: New team hit right note

29 Aug 12:00 PM

'Hitman' says cops wrong over Phil Rudd

12 Dec 09:00 PM
New Zealand

Rudd: 'What happened to a fair go?'

22 Dec 03:59 AM

The damage to Rudd's reputation, especially at this age and stage of his life and career, had been significant - on a global scale, Mr Tuck said. "I appreciate and respect the responsible attitude taken by some media, including the Bay of Plenty Times, whereas others, particularly international media, took a wholesale, almost napalm-to-the-ground approach."

Mr Tuck said the intense spotlight thrust on his client had been "incredibly damaging" to his career and reputation.

Both men were now keen to mend what they could.

Mr Tuck said they were taking a "pathway of making sure the facts are right and making sure both sides of the story are told".

"Phil is very interested in how the media deal with it."

Bay of Plenty police spokeswoman Kim Perks said the decision to withdraw the charge was made by the Crown solicitor. She declined to comment further, as the matter was before the court.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rudd remains on bail at his waterfront mansion. He is due back in the Tauranga District Court in February for a case review hearing on the threatening to kill charge, as well as possession of 130 grams of cannabis and 0.7g of methamphetamine. Rudd has denied the criminal offences and the case is likely to be defended at a judge-alone trial.

The story so far

Phil Rudd, 60, drummer for rock band AC/DC.

Arrested on November 6 for attempting to procure murder, threatening to kill, and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

On November 7 the charge of attempting to procure murder was dropped.

Arrested again on December 3 for breaching his bail after public fracas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough

Bay of Plenty Times

Serious injuries in BoP crash, road closed

Bay of Plenty Times

$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough
Bay of Plenty Times
|Updated

'Mind-blowing': Chef's two-ingredient meringue breakthrough

'It’s as simple as, and could make life a lot easier.'

15 Jul 09:44 PM
Serious injuries in BoP crash, road closed
Bay of Plenty Times

Serious injuries in BoP crash, road closed

15 Jul 09:32 PM
$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'
Bay of Plenty Times

$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'

15 Jul 08:10 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP