A “serious sense of shame” over criminal charges was the reason a suicidal Cloncurry man led police on a three-week search through difficult bushland south of the town, earlier this month, Mount Isa Magistrate’s Court heard yesterday.

Cloncurry resident Leslie Barraclough, 50, went missing from Cloncurry on September 29, the day he was due to appear in the Cloncurry Magistrate’s Court to face serious criminal charges.

On the day of the court committal mention, Mr Barraclough was overcome with “a serious sense of shame” over the charges and decided he could not attend.

Deciding to commit suicide, Mr Barraclough attempted to hang himself in the back room of his Cloncurry home, however when that proved unsuccessful, he drove to an abandoned mine where he formerly worked on Brightlands Station about 55 kilometres south-west of Cloncurry, where he intended to again attempt suicide.

However, the vehicle soon became bogged in a dry creek bed at the station.

Mr Barraclough attempted to conceal the vehicle with branches and camped behind dense scrubland while he considered his movements.

He would be reported missing about 48 hours later.

After his four-wheel drive was discovered by a mustering helicopter on October 1, Mr Barraclough played a game of “hide and seek” with police, who were out on the station attempting to locate him. He used the dense bushland to conceal himself.

Drunk on vodka, Mr Barraclough unsuccessfully attempted to drown himself in a nearby dam, which was later searched by Xstrata divers.

He survived off Johnny Cakes he made from the flour he was carrying.

Several weeks into his hiding, Mr Barraclough said upon reaching the top of a hill he turned his mobile phone on for the first time.

He had 58 messages on his phone.

In desperate need of heart medication, required for ongoing problems following triple bypass surgery in 2003, Mr Barraclough walked into the Cloncurry Hospital on Saturday, almost four weeks after he first left the town.