Missing patient: Body found

As the Observer closed for press yesterday police were hoping to obtain a formal identification to establish whether the body was that of missing pensioner Harry Miller.

Police said that the body of an elderly man was found by builders on a construction site at De Cham Road, St Leonards, shortly before noon on Wednesday.

Harry Miller hadn't been seen since he left the Conquest Hospital in Hastings at 5pm last Friday.

He had been treated at the hospital. He was due to be discharged that day, but walked out before transport arrived to return him to his wife in Bexhill. Police had put out a series of urgent appeals via the press and medial.

As the days went by and the police search revealed nothing they were becoming increasingly concerned for the elderly man's welfare.

They put out a photograph and detailed description of Mr Miller, who when last seen was still wearing hospital identity bands on both wrists.

On Monday the head of Rother CID, Detective Inspector Trevor Bowles, said: "I am very concerned for the safety and welfare of Mr Miller and this increases as time goes on. I appeal to anyone who may have seen him since Friday afternoon to contact police as a matter of urgency.

"Mr Miller may well have used the rail network since he was last seen so we do not know where he may be at this time.

He is very vulnerable and we are urging the public to help us find him safely."

Detective Inspector Bowles said that on a previous occasion when Mr Miller had gone missing he had been found in the Croydon area.

CCTV footage from Warrior Square station at St Leonards was examined as part of the police operation. Police were not 100 per cent certain but they believed a man showed on weekend footage might have been Mr Miller.

Police also investigated a possible sighting of Mr Miller near the Welcome Stranger pub in Hastings.

A Downland rescue team was brought in last Friday night to search open ground near the hospital.

Throughout the hunt police remained in close touch with Mr Miller's wife in Bexhill and his son who livers in Surrey. .