BOUNCER Claire Marsden has won a prestigious award for helping police with two crimes on the same night.

Doorwoman Claire, 41, was on duty at the Mailcoach pub, in Swindon’s Fleet Street, when she helped bust a stolen mobile phone scam and consoled a sexual assault victim.

Now her actions have led to her to being awarded with the Divisional Commander’s Certificate Of Merit from Wiltshire Police.

And it is thought that it is the first time a female bouncer has received the honour.

Claire, who has been a bouncer for 15 years and is working at Glastonbury this weekend, said: “It’s nice to be recognised. I think it’s great to get the award, especially as I’m a girl in a man’s world.”

The incidents took place in November when she was on duty at the pub, where she had worked every weekend for about two and a half years.

Claire, who lives in Hereford, said the first incident happened at about midnight on a Friday when one of the regulars told her about a man who was trying to sell mobile phones to customers.

“I apprehended him, I searched him and found four phones,” she said. “He didn’t know their numbers or the names on them, which led me to think they were stolen.”

She alerted the police and a man was arrested.

The second incident happened at about 2.30am the following day when she spotted a distressed girl, who later turned out to be a victim of a serious sexual assault.

“I spoke to her and I managed to get her to tell me what happened,” she said. “I also managed to get her to preserve the evidence and not wash.”

She called the police and passed on what she knew to help them with their inquiries.

Sgt Paul Saunders, the town centre sergeant who nominated Claire for the award, said: “She went above and beyond what we should normally expect and we felt she would be recognised for that.”

Claire was presented with the award at the Steam museum by Swindon Mayor Rex Barnett.