What sent Rodney Clavell off the rails?

The SA police minister says Rodney Clavell has been found dead inside the building he was holed up in.

Rodney Ian Clavell leaving the District Court - Grader Driver low speed chase. Source: News Limited

SOMETHING extraordinary happened to Rodney Ian Clavell after he became a prison officer 12 years ago.

It changed him, gave him a death wish, set him on a path of self-destruction that would culminate in his death yesterday at the end of a 13 hour siege, holed up with four women in an Adelaide massage parlour after two weeks on the run.

Siege over: Fugitive Rodney Clavell has been found dead

Up until then, the 46-year-old had led an apparently normal life — or as ''normal" a life that a father of 11 could possibly lead — working as a welding instructor, a boilermaker and even constructing Collins Class submarines.

Heavily-armed police on Wright St during the stand-off with Rodney Clavell. Picture: Tom Huntley Source: News Corp Australia

He was a full-on Christian, anti-crim, boxing enthusiast and fitness fantastic with a penchant for steroids that would cause serious problems further down the track when he started abusing them and other drugs.

He also introduced steroids to at least one of his sons, Daniel, when he was just a teenager, a decision that would have a devastating effect on the boy, now a 27-year-old man facing jail over four violent assaults on strangers and drugs charges.

An Adelaide court heard last week that Daniel has converted to Islam and is studying the Koran as he awaits sentencing. During that hearing, the prison guard job was again singled out as a turning point for Rodney Clavell.

"His father was a prison guard, and my client had a fairly stable life until his father developed a drug problem and decided to go downhill from there," Daniel's lawyer Nikki Conley said.

"He began taking steroids as a result of his father's influence ... his father has not been the best role model or support for my client, and not a very good influence, either."

According to The Advertiser, Clavell senior had his first run-in with the law soon after landing a job with the Department for Correctional Services around late 2001.

STAR Group officers climb onto their truck after the siege ended. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: News Corp Australia

"I believe things started going off the rails for him when he became a prison guard and was in daily contact with inmates — and getting assaulted at work," a former associate told the paper.

But a relative of Clavell's last night offered a deeper insight into his experience on the job in an emotional social media post to a collection of curious strangers.

News.com.au has chosen not to identify the relative but has verified their online account.

"I know many will not believe this but (Rodney) was a Christian before he became a prison guard, once he became one and saw how corrupt it is in jail and with the law he didn't know what he believed in anymore," the family member wrote.

"He would never intend to hurt a child or hurt anyone, the only time he would hurt someone (would be) if he was in a situation where he had to. But under any circumstance (he) would never hurt a child.

"He has 11 children of his own, he doesn't get a lot of chances to see them all but he would do anything for their safety. He may be a criminal and everything on the news is about him, but it wouldn't harm anyone.

"Sorry for the rant but people just need to understand just because the media makes a person look bad doesn't mean he is bad person. Yes, he did stuff 10 years ago, but us family know the backstory no one else because no one will believe it."

Rodney Ian Clavell arriving at Adelaide's District Court after the infamous "slow-speed chase" episode in 2004. Source: News Limited

Back in November 28, 2002, Clavell fronted an Adelaide court charged with four counts of assaulting a family member and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. There was also a restraining order that he was accused of breaching repeatedly.

The court heard the charges related to Clavell's alleged assaults upon his wife and some of their children — claims he denied, and told the court he would be opposing, The Advertiser reported. At the time, Clavell was suspended on full pay from his prison job before finally being sacked in September 2003. He reportedly snubbed the chance to "show due cause" as to why he should keep his job.

Almost exactly a year later, he led police on a high-speed car chase through the Adelaide Hills for more than 40km. When officers finally cornered him, he got out of the car, aimed a sawn-off shotgun at his chest and threatened to kill himself, yelling: "I'll do it, I'll do it".

The second of four women held during yesterday's seige is released. Picture: Tait Schmaal. Source: News Corp Australia

According to The Advertiser, he then dumped his car before taking control of a 12-tonne grader from a shed on the property.

With the shotgun still pointed at his chest, he then led police on "a slow-speed chase", bogging the grader twice before throwing the vehicle into reverse and attempting to run down two officers, one of whom managed to shoot him in the thigh.

"A third officer, standing 51m away, fired a shot that hit Clavell in the shoulder and finally brought the grader to a halt," The Advertiser's Sean Fewster reported. "Even then, Clavell was not finished — he stepped out pointing the fingers of one hand like a gun as if he were daring the officers to shoot him dead. They responded, instead, with Tasers and took him into custody, during which time he told medical staff he 'wanted to die'."

"Don't let police tell you I tried to shoot them," he said, "I'm not that sort of person."

Clavell was jailed for four years and, while serving out the sentence, was cleared of the 2002 assault charges against his family.

Another female hostage is released. Picture Tom Huntley Source: News Corp Australia

In October 2008, he and 35 other Port Augusta Prison inmates, his son Daniel among them, staged a three-day riot over jail conditions and ill-treatment.

The incident began when two guards were diverted from a scheduled exercise session to supervise three inmates in the prison hospital.

Yelling "let's go, let's go, it's time, let's do it," Clavell and his colleagues took over the high-security Bluebush unit, smashing windows, computers and airconditioners, The Advertiser reported.

Donning balaclavas, they occupied the prison's roof throughout the following days, displaying messages daubed on mattresses complaining of overcrowding and ill treatment at the jail. Clavell took the role of group spokesman, communicating directly with police and people outside the prison.

The matter took years to resolve legally with Clavell facing a series of hearings, trials, appeals and retrials.

In 2012 he was finally sentenced for one count of using or threatening to use violence but had served so much time on remand he was dismissed without further penalty.

Clavell returned to court in September 2011, charged with driving dangerously to escape a police pursuit and making off without payment.

He received a nine-month minimum jail term.

In February this year, he was acquitted of allegations he repeatedly punched a woman in the face with a leather studded glove.

In March, Clavell accompanied girlfriend Samantha Farrer to court where she faced charges of causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

This terrible journey, while battling his own demons and trying to be a father to 11 kids — eight under the age of ten — could only end badly.