EXMOUTH detectives have exclusively revealed to the Journal how they caught self-confessed armed raider Scott Brown who, in January, held up a town centre supermarket. Brown, 21, of New Street, who admitted robbing Rolle Street Tesco Express at gunpoint

EXMOUTH detectives have exclusively revealed to the Journal how they caught self-confessed armed raider Scott Brown who, in January, held up a town centre supermarket.

Brown, 21, of New Street, who admitted robbing Rolle Street Tesco Express at gunpoint, today appears at Exeter Crown Court, where he will be sentenced.

Concerned an armed raider was at large in Exmouth, officers worked around the clock to bring him to justice - and their dedication paid off when Brown was arrested a week later after his unmasked face was spotted on CCTV footage.

Police said officers from across the region were drafted in to help with the major investigation.

Hundreds of hours of Exmouth's CCTV footage was screened by detectives in their quest to find a key piece of evidence which would show Brown's face minus his balaclava.

Detective Sergeant Jo Hall, from Exmouth, said successful evidence gathering by the town's police had Brown admitting his crime in court - a month after he calmly walked into Tesco Express and ordered the bewildered cashier, at gunpoint, to hand over cash from the tills.

Exmouth CID said early forensic evidence and a positive DNA profile had not been enough to secure Brown's conviction.

Although officers had CCTV footage of the raid, showing of a man in distinctive clothing, his face was covered by a balaclava - they needed a picture of his face or the case could collapse.

DS Hall said: "We had a dedicated officer sitting at a computer, searching hours and hours of CCTV footage. Eventually, he said 'I think I have found something'. We knew we had our man when we had that final piece of evidence. We were absolutely over the moon.

"Everybody wanted to catch this guy. It was a really good example of how well the team worked together - patrol, the neighbourhood team, the PACT team, CID and even officers from other areas.

"Everyone was of the same mindset - 'we don't want this happening on my patch'.

"The team were on it 24 hours a day. They worked so hard.