A statement most definitely is evidence. It would be the most common form of evidence used in criminal proceedings. The CCTV footage and security logs were evidence that they were both there at the time the offence was alleged to have occurred.
The point that you seem to be wilfully missing is that the evidentiary standard for going to trial is different from the standard for conviction. There was sufficient evidence provided by the prosecution to the court in the committal hearing for the magistrate to agree that the accusations needed to be tested to a higher level of scrutiny. This is just how the law works, and just because you disagree with it and apparently don't understand it doesn't make it any other way.
