Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: UK News, Crime, Sycamore Gap tree
Olivia Burke
The damning evidence which police piled up against the two men who chopped down the Sycamore Gap tree has now been laid bare by the lead investigator.
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were each sentenced to four years and three months behind bars on Tuesday (15 July) after being convicted of two counts of criminal damage.
The judge at Newcastle Crown Court decided they were 'both equally culpable' in cutting down the world famous landmark during what Mrs Justice Lambert described as a 'moronic mission'.
The 100-year-old tree was destroyed in September 2023, while Hadrian’s Wall was also significantly damaged after the sycamore tumbled on top of it.
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Carruthers felled the iconic Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw while his friend Graham filmed the incident.
Now, the police chief who was put in charge of the high-profile investigation has revealed what pieces of evidence proved key in securing their convictions.
Detective Inspector Calum Meikle, of Northumbria Police, said the pair still haven't offered up a proper explanation for the 'mindless thuggery' they committed nearly two years ago, which sparked uproar across the UK.
He told the Daily Mail: "As soon as anybody knows that I'm involved in this investigation, that’s the first question they ask. They want to know, why? That's something that we still don't fully understand.
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"There are only two people that really will ever know. I certainly don't think that they fully understood the enormity of their actions."
So, let's dig into the evidence which was obtained by cops to secure the conviction of Carruthers and Graham.
One of the strongest pieces of evidence in the case was the two minute and 41 second video recorded under a cloak of 'darkness' which was retrieved from Graham's phone.
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Prosecutors told the court that the ground worker and his mechanic pal had made a 40-minute drive to the area in the middle of the night on 27 September, 2023, before marking their 'intended cut' on the tree with spray paint.
Carruthers cut across the trunk, causing the sycamore to fall and hit Hadrian’s Wall, while Graham filmed the act on his mobile phone.
DI Meikle explained that the footage had initially been 'all black', until it was digitally enhanced by police to reveal the 'shocking' contents of the clip.
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As well as recording the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, the pair also took a number of incriminating photographs, too.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how images of a wedge from the tree - which the pair took from the site as something of a souvenir - and a chainsaw lying in the boot of Graham's car were also found on his device.
Due to this digital evidence, Mrs Justice Lambert said: "I can now be sure you, Adam Carruthers, were the person who felled the tree and you, Daniel Graham, assisted and encouraged him by driving there and back and not least by filming it on your phone."
Carruthers also forwarded the footage of his crime to his partner as he and Graham - who were described as 'best of pals' at the time and regularly worked together felling trees - left the scene.
The missing wedge from the Sycamore Gap tree has never been found.
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Carruthers claimed he had downed a bottle of whisky before the felling and that 'everything was a blur', while Graham tried to 'heap as much blame as possible' on his former pal, the judge said during sentencing.
But Mrs Justice Lambert rejected their excuses after the court was presented with evidence which showed the pair 'revelling in [the] coverage of their actions' both online and in the media.
"This is not the behaviour of someone who is shocked and horrified by what has happened," she said, explaining both defendants closely followed coverage of the investigation into the demise of the Sycamore Gap tree.
Carruthers and Graham shared social media posts about the vandalism the day after they had chopped it down, with Graham saying to the 32-year-old: "Here we go."
They also exchanged messages and voice notes where they boasted about the story going 'wild' and viral', referring to 'an operation like we did last night' and joking that damage looked like it had been done by a professional.
DI Meikle explained that cops were 'tipped off' about the perpetrators a few weeks after the tree was chopped down during an anonymous phone call.
The force was informed that two ground workers were responsible for the crime, leading to the arrest of Carruthers and Graham.
Then, in August last year, Graham sensationally turned on his pal and made his own anonymous call to the police - telling them to search Carruthers' home and workshop, as they would find evidence including the missing wedge.
However, it was not there, nor were the chainsaws which Graham had claimed would be found in his friend's possession.
The duo were then charged with criminal damage in April of this year, before a jury found them guilty in June.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology also helped secure the conviction of Carruthers and Graham.
Graham's black Range Rover was picked up by the cameras - which read and cross reference car number plates - between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap on the night of September 27, 2023.
The vehicle was then clocked returning to the area by ANPR early the next morning, while Graham's mobile was also traced to phone masts making the same journey.
The 39-year-old tried to claim that Carruthers and an accomplice had taken his car, with his phone inside, and driven to the Sycamore Gap without his knowledge while he had been sleeping in his caravan.
Mrs Justice Lambert said it seemed the pair committed the senseless act due to 'sheer bravado', suggesting they were seeking 'some sort of thrill'.
The pair only recently admitted to being responsible to the felling during interviews with the Probation Service.
Both Graham and Carruthers have been held in custody for their 'own protection' since the guilty verdict was given in May.
The Sycamore Gap tree still featured in Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later recently, despite the film being shot in 2024.