A father from South Yorkshire who faked his suicide before using his mobile phone to report his disappearance to police has been jailed for 12 months.
Mark Bailey, 44, from Rotherham, sparked a major search when he left suicide notes at a clifftop near Bridlington, East Yorkshire, in June.
He was arrested hours later in Goole after police traced his phone call.
Bailey was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.
The court heard he told his family he was going on holiday by himself before travelling to East Yorkshire, where he left notes to his partner, daughter and parents, along with an empty bottle of spirits, on a cliff between Sewerby and Danes Dyke.
False identity
He then called police on his own mobile phone to report finding the rucksack.
Police, coastguards and volunteers took part in the subsequent air and sea search, during which Bailey was seen in the area by officers but gave them a fake name.
The earlier emergency call was traced to Bailey's mobile phone and he was later arrested on a train at Goole railway station, when he again gave a false identity.
The court heard that, at the time of faking his death in June, Bailey was being investigated by South Yorkshire Police over allegations of assault but that no charges had been brought.
It was believed the possibility of these proceedings motivated him to stage the faked suicide, the court was told.
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