A teenage girl today made a desperate appeal for the return of a picture of her dead father.
Zara Arthur of The Ridings, Canvey, was left stranded by bouncers who refused to let her go back inside a Southend nightclub after she realised her bag was still inside the building.
Distraught - Zara PICTURE: LUAN MARSHALL
The 17-year-old had gone to the Zinc nightclub with friends. She left the Lucy Road venue at 2am but once outside she realised she did not have her handbag.
The youngster had checked the bag along with her coat into the cloakroom earlier in the evening.
A distressed Zara today said: "I've only got two pictures with me and my dad in them and I carried the best one around in my bag.
"At the end of the night I got my coat back but didn't realise my handbag was missing until I was outside.
"I explained the situation to three or four different bouncers but they said I would have to come back the next day."
She was stranded miles from home without money, a telephone, front door key or the treasured photograph.
Zara started to make the long walk home to Canvey but luckily came across a friend who let her borrow his mobile phone.
Zara has telephoned staff at Zinc for the past five days without success and doesn't know if her bag was stolen.
Staff at Zinc nightclub were unavailable for comment.
Published Friday, January 3, 2003
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