BOVEY Tracey's CCTV system has been used to expose the false alibi of a Torquay man, who was in fact setting fire to his ex-wife's house in Kent.

Kent police investigating the crime asked Bovey Tracey Town Council to hand over CCTV tapes for January 19, when Barden Davis claimed to be in the town. The tapes formed an exhibit at Davis' trial at Maidstone Crown Court in August, when he was found guilty on two counts of arson and sentenced to four years and six years to run concurrently.

The court heart that Davis quickly returned to Devon by train after committing the offences, to try to substantiate his alibi. But as in Sherlock Holmes' case of the dog that didn't bark, Bovey Tracey's CCTV footage proved crucial, not for what they showed but rather for what they did not.

Passing sentencing, the Maidstone Crown Court judge said that Davis 'represented a significant threat to members of the public both now and in the future'. At the recent Bovey Tracey Town Council meeting, mayor Cllr George Gribble said he was pleased they had been able to help.

While CCTV is normally used to identify offenders, unusually in this case it helped prove someone was not where they claimed to be. 'It's not the first time it's been used – we've been able to identify youths up to no good in the middle of Bovey Tracey. It may be a bit big brotherish, but in the absence of police, it's a means to an end.'