Manhunt OAP is found ... having a curry with mayor

WHEN a dementia sufferer went missing from home, her family feared the worst.

A police helicopter combed the town for Mollie Borrett, 84, and relatives took to the streets.

But the hunt was called off after it emerged she had gone for a walk and stumbled across a luncheon club where friendly members insisted she shouldn’t eat alone and placed her next to the mayor and mayoress.

The widow then tucked into a ‘ banquet- style feast’ at the Indian restaurant and had the best part of a bottle of wine before she was spotted by her great-granddaughter.

The retired florist yesterday said she was ‘treated fine’ during her adventure.

‘I had a chat with the lady mayor. The food was very good and the wine as well. I had a lovely afternoon,’ she said.

Her daughter Toni Matthews, 57, added: ‘I can’t believe what happened. I’m really grateful that they didn’t leave her sitting on her own. It makes you feel good about people.’

The alarm was raised at 11.30am on Monday when a carer discovered Mrs Borrett was missing from her home in Shoeburyness, Essex. Although fiercely independent, the pensioner has memory problems following a series of mini-strokes.

Fortunately, members of the Thorpe Bay and Shoeburyness Luncheon Club saw her sitting alone and invited her over. Club secretary Bryan Andrews said: ‘The lady had the full monty and ate the lot.’

Mrs Borrett’s outing ended at 3.30pm when she was spotted by her four-year- old great-granddaughter, who was searching the streets with her mother.