The 61-year-old sticksman was replaced on the band's Rock Or Bust world tour by Chris Slade after a court drama which saw him sentenced to eight months home arrest in New Zealand for threatening to kill and drug possession.

He tells Rolling Stone: "It came to a head at this woman's party, which was badly organized. So I sacked all those guys on the spot. I wanted them to sit down and listen to the album, have a snack and a cup of tea. It just got worse from there. I wasn't handling it very well. The whole thing was a little bit too much for me. But the threatening charge is just a complete crock... I wouldn't do that."