'GIVE ME A FAIR GO,' SAYS AC/DC DRUMMER

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd believes he is being treated unfairly after
being convicted yesterday for possessing 27 grams of cannabis.

Rudd, whose legal name is Phillip Witschke, was convicted and fined
$250 plus $132.89 court costs when he appeared before a community
magistrate in Tauranga District Court.

Today Rudd told the Sunlive website from his Tauranga home he thought
authorities were treating him unfairly.

"Give me a fair go," he said.

"They (police) have been trying to catch me on the road for a while
too."

News of the conviction had drawn many comments and Rudd said many
people had sent him messages of support.

Police found 25 grams of cannabis at Rudd's house and two grams on his
launch Barchetta when they executed a search warrant on October 7.

Defence lawyer Craig Tuck asked the magistrate to discharge Rudd
without conviction as the offence could hinder his ability to travel
for work.

"He travels extensively around the globe, across the planet, and on
the basis of such criminality, which is low level offending, he is
being targeted," he said.

Police opposed Rudd's request for discharge without conviction, saying
when travelling to countries such as the United States he would still
have to declare he had been arrested on drugs charges.

Magistrate Robyn Paterson said Rudd was playing "Russian roulette" and
he should have known how serious a drug conviction should be.

"My only Russian roulette is surviving life on the road," Rudd said
today.

He said he still enjoyed living in Tauranga and the conviction had not
changed his view about the city.

"I've been here for 30 years. This is my home. My kids are all here.
I'm not going anywhere."

Rudd had not spoken to the other AC/DC band members about his
conviction and was unsure if they would carry out another tour.

"I haven't heard anything. It's hard to say if we will do," he
said.

"When I first joined the band in 1974, we did 174 concerts in 11
months.

"The shows we do these days are not just set up in a
day."

- - NZPA