A popular beat bobby's widow has collected a posthumous commendation for his role in bringing a sex offender to justice.

Pc Guy Swatland, a former Leicestershire beat bobby of the year, died while out cycling in the countryside last June.

Yesterday, the 49-year-old former Coldstream Guard and his colleague, Pc Emma Jayne, were honoured for their investigation into the activities of sex offender Thomas Cockerill.

Cockerill committed 19 offences of sexual assault, chiefly spanking, against 10 boys, aged between 11 and 17, from 1991 until 2007.

Yesterday, at police headquarters in Enderby, Pc Swatland's widow, Debbie, stood alongside Pc Jayne to receive the commendation for "outstanding work" from temporary chief constable Chris Eyre.

Mrs Swatland said she had been "totally unaware" of the respect her husband had earned among his colleagues and people on his Clarendon Park beat.

More than 100 policemen and women formed a guard of honour at his funeral in Knighton, Leicester, last June.

Mrs Swatland said: "To me, Guy was someone who went out and did his job every day.

"We knew how proud he was to be a police officer, but we were totally unaware of the impact he had on people.

"I felt very proud and honoured to receive the award for Guy."

Pc Jayne, who still covers the Clarendon Park beat, said: "It would be wrong to say I didn't want to come here today, but we should have been here together.

"We spent a lot of time working on this inquiry and it was a good experience and there was a good outcome.

"We traced the victims and gained their trust and some felt able to give evidence against this man.

"It was great that Debs was here to represent Guy."

Cockerill came to the officers' attention when a manager at a city sports club told them the 62-year-old, from Osprey Close, Broughton Astley, had physically assaulted a young member of staff.

Their investigation eventually uncovered Cockerill's history of indecently assaulting boys and young men while he was running bars at sports and social clubs in Leicestershire.

He pleaded guilty to the crimes and was jailed for three and a half years.

Cockerill was also made the subject of a sex offenders' prevention order.

For the full list of award winners at yesterday's ceremony - click here.