Former Ac/Dc drummer Phil Rudd risked arrest in New Zealand on Wednesday (26Nov14) by arriving late to a scheduled court date.

The embattled rocker hit headlines earlier this month (Nov14) when he was arrested and accused of plotting to have two men killed.

The murder-for-hire accusation was dropped a day after his court appearance, but Rudd still faces charges of drug possession and threatening to kill.

He was slated to appear in the Tauranga High Court at 9am local time, but was not present when the hearing was scheduled to begin. The judge overseeing the case issued a warrant for Rudd's arrest, which would only be enacted if the rocker did not show within 30 minutes later.

He was in court by 9.15am for the brief hearing, which concluded with the judge sending the case back to a district court due to the fact local police had dropped the initial charge of attempting to procure murder. The rocker did not enter a plea for the remaining charges.

The drummer's lawyer stated that Rudd will defend the charge of threatening to kill, for which he faces a maximum seven-year jail sentence if found guilty.

There was drama outside the courthouse after the hearing as Rudd jumped on the back of a security guard as he made his way to his vehicle, surrounded by members of the local media. He then flipped off the snappers before stepping into his car, and reversed right into the path of an oncoming truck, forcing it to screech to a halt.

He remains free on bail and is due back in District Court on 2 December (14).

Rudd was kicked out of AC/DC earlier this year (14).