Video footage of the moment the world famous Saycamore Gap tree was allegedly chopped down by two men has been shown in court today (30 April).
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, are both facing two counts of criminal damage at Newcastle Crown Court after the 100-year-old tree was destroyed in September 2023.
The felling which sparked uproar across the UK spelled the end of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, while Hadrian’s Wall was also damaged after it tumbled on top of it.
Both men deny the charges.
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On the second day of the trial, jurors were shown grainy footage that police obtained from Graham's phone which allegedly shows the incident unfold.
Although the two minute and 41 second clip was recorded under a cloak of 'darkness', police analyst Amy Sutherland told the court that the 'sounds of a chainsaw' could still be made out.
Take a look at it here:
Sutherland said she had obtained the co-ordinates of where the video was filmed from metadata, which married up with the location of the Sycamore Gap tree.
Prosecutors allege that Graham, a groundworker, and Carruthers, a mechanic, made a 40-minute drive to the area in the middle of the night on 27 September, 2023, while on a 'moronic mission'.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors: "First, they marked the intended cut with silver spray paint, before then cutting out a wedge that would dictate the direction in which the tree would fall.
"One of the men then cut across the trunk, causing the sycamore to fall, hitting the wall. Whilst he did that, the other filmed the act on Graham's mobile telephone.
"Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes."
Mr Wright said the filming of the 'criminal' act was just as bad as the actions of the person 'wielding the chainsaw'.
The prosecutor explained that although the footage had been enhanced by a Northumbria Police expert, it was 'extremely dark' - however, the 'unmistakable sound of a chainsaw' can still be made out.
Jurors saw both versions of the footage in court, which they were told was filmed on Graham's phone in 'real time' at 12.32am on 28 September, 2023.
Mr Wright described how about halfway through the clip, someone can be seen removing a wedge from the tree, before the machine starts up again and the sycamore falls.
The court also heard how the men exchanged messages following the felling, with one saying: "It’s gone viral, it’s gone worldwide, it will be on ITV News tonight."
The damage caused to the Sycamore Gap tree was valued at a staggering £622,191, while another £1,144 in damage was done to the Roman wall, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist with Historic England, told Newcastle Crown Court that the site in Northumberland has become a 'totemic' location.
"It has become a place of marriage proposals, family visits and even the location of ashes to be spread," he said. "The place is much loved by many thousands of people."
Wilmott said a full assessment of damage to the wall was not possible, because of the precarious way the tree lay until it had been removed.
However, he believes it was evident that a bough had snapped and caused spalling to stones on top of the wall.
The tree had been looked after by both the Northumberland National Park and the National Trust, who had also used the tree in incredible images showing the stars above it, as the area is an International Dark Sky Park.
The famous sycamore tree also featured in the 1991 blockbuster film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman and Christian Slater.
National Trust general manager Andrew Poad said it was believed that the tree was planted in the 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton, 'to be a feature in the landscape', adding that the land was then purchased by the National Trust in 1942.
The trial continues.
Topics: Crime, Environment, UK News, Sycamore Gap tree
Olivia Burke