Featured Image Credit: CPS
Topics: UK News, Sycamore Gap tree
Anish Vij
Two men have been found guilty of 'deliberately' cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Cumbria, went out in the middle of the night to the Northumberland landmark on 27 September 2023.
One of the men cut down the world-famous tree with a chainsaw, while the other filmed it.
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The pair have been convicted of causing over £620,000 worth of damage to one of the most photographed trees in the country.
They were each found guilty of two counts of criminal damage, including one to Hadrian’s Wall, which was damaged when the sycamore fell on it.
It was heard the pair kept a wedge of the trunk as a trophy and spent the next day 'revelling' in news reports.
Prosecutors said the duo thought it would be 'a bit of a laugh', but realised they 'weren’t the big men they thought they were' after committing 'the arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery'.
Groundworker Graham, 39, and mechanic Carruthers, 32, had no visible reaction from in the dock as the jury came back after just over five hours of deliberation.
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There was an overwhelming amount of evidence against the pair, as Graham’s Land Rover was picked up on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap.
His phone was then traced to cell sites making the same journey.
After police arrested them, they searched Graham’s phone and found a two minute and 41 second video which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on 28 September 28, which had been sent to Carruthers.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: “Up and down the country and across the world, the reaction of all right-thinking people to the senseless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree has been one of sadness and anger.
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“Who would do such a thing? Why would anyone do such a thing? Take something beautiful and destroy it for no good reason.”
Superintendent Kevin Waring, of Northumbria Police said: “In September 2023, we woke to the devastating news that the tree had been cut down.
“Since then, we have been carrying out a meticulous investigation to identify those responsible.
“Due to the unwavering commitment of those involved in the case, today we have seen two men be found guilty of damaging not only the treebut also Hadrian’s Wall.
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“We often hear references made to mindless acts of vandalism – but that term has never been more relevant than today in describing the actions of those individuals.
“At no point have the two men given an explanation for why they targeted the tree – and there never could be a justifiable one.”
They will be sentenced on July 15.