Shooshh bouncer Clive Read given bravery award for detaining rapist on Brighton beach

Shooshh door supervisor Clive Read sprang into action when he spotted a young woman on Brighton beach and realised “something was wrong”.

It was about 4.30am and Clive was patrolling the seafront during a shift at the club.

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He and four other staff members helped the 18-year-old girl and the police were called. 

Abdenour Ben Ali has since been convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison for the attack which happened on September 7, 2019.

Ali will also be a registered sex offender indefinitely.

Abdenour Ben Ali has since been convicted and sentenced to nine-years in prison

Now Clive has been awarded the bravery and meritorious conduct award for his actions. 

Clive, who received the National Pubwatch award at the House of Lords, said he was “just doing my job”. 

“We are there to protect and serve,” he said. “That is the reason we do it. It is not only for the venue and the staff but for the people out there enjoying the night.”

The nightclubs door supervisor, who conducts frequent patrols along the beach, said the award was a “big surprise”, as many in the industry do not get recognised.

“We are protecting the public even outside our venue because we feel that it’s important that customers are able to leave a nightclub and continue their journey or get home in safety,” he said.

“I want door supervisors to be recognised for doing a good job and going above and beyond to protect the public.”

Shooshh door supervisor Clive Read has been awarded the Bravery and Meritorious Conduct Award

After the conviction, Detective Constable Tom Perry, of the Brighton and Hove safeguarding investigations unit, said: "The four door staff, who were commended in court at the end of the trial by Judge Janet Waddicor, spotted what was happening, restrained Ben Ali and called police.

"Ben Ali had met the woman in the club shortly beforehand and some time conversation she had gone with him to the adjacent beach area where he assaulted her.

“Fortunately, alert door staff took action and now Ben Ali, who had taken advantage of her vulnerability, has faced justice."

The National Pubwatch Awards 2021, which was judged by members of the National Pubwatch Committee, commends the social responsibility of the Bedsafe scheme, whose members work closely with the local police and council to target and reduce alcohol-related disorder.

Mark Judd, chairman of the Bedsafe Pubwatch, said the scheme had been well supported and very positively received by the community.

“It reinforces that what we have been doing is the right thing,” he said. “I think it will make people realise that we are leading the way, showing people how it can be done and how pubwatch can positively protect the community.”

Becky Goulding, the general manager of The Winery Bar Restaurant in Burton-Upon-Trent, was also given a bravery award after she ran to help a customer who had collapsed from cardiac arrest in the car park.

Becky immediately started CPR and called for another member of staff to ring for an ambulance and saved his life.

National Pubwatch chairman Steve Baker OBE said: “It has been a privilege after such a difficult couple of years to be able to recognise those in the licensed trade for all their good work and commitment.

“Recognising individuals and groups that have gone ‘above and beyond’ to help ensure a safe licensed trade is even more crucial this year as the industry faces its greatest challenge coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.”