16910/9A POLICE officer whose eye for detail helped jail a violent thug was among those commended at an awards ceremony on Thursday.

Pc Sue Martin was the licensing officer in Trowbridge when three men attacked Dean Peverley so badly that he needed surgery to remove his spleen and most of his pancreas.

Two of the thugs were arrested soon after the attack in the Kings Arms pub in April 2003, but the third, Gavin Bates, remained at large.

In July 2003, Pc Martin, one of 30 to receive a Divisional Commander's Certificate of Merit, remembered Bates' face from CCTV footage, followed him to a flat and alerted CID.

She said: "It was three months after the event and I was at a meeting for the West Wilts Show in Trowbridge Park.

"This guy walked past and I thought I recognise that face. He had only just moved to the area so he wasn't well known to us."

Pc Martin added: "I think it spoilt his day."

Bates, branded as arrogant by a judge at Swindon Crown Court, was jailed for eight years after being convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mr Peverley, 28, was left scarred by the attack and told the Wiltshire Times he could have died as a result of his injuries.

Pc Martin received her award at Wiltshire Police divisional headquarters in Semington on Thursday.