AC/DC drummer's drug conviction nixed

A judge has overturned AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd's drug conviction.

Rudd was convicted in 2010 for possession of 27 grams of marijuana. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $190 (£118).

The musician asked the Tauranga District Court to quash the conviction and wipe it from his record because it restricted his ability to enter certain countries, including the US and Japan.

"My client may be 56 but he is as motivated to be involved in the industry as he ever was... I ask you to allow him to continue his stellar career," Rudd's attorney Craig Tuck urged the court during the hearing.

The 56-year-old told the court that he plans to continue playing music "for as long as [he's] still alive".

The conviction was dropped and Judge Alayne Wills, who said that Rudd's offence was at the "lower end of scale", ordered Rudd to pay $1,100 (£682) in prosecution costs.

AC/DC, who cut new tracks for the soundtrack to Iron Man 2, plan to acdc-to-release-live-cddvd-combo.html
">release a new live album this spring. The band has embarked on world tours since forming in the 1970s.