Sycamore Gap trial shown footage of 'tree being felled'

Video footage allegedly showing the moment the famous Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down was played to a jury yesterday.

- ALEX ROSS

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, each deny two counts of criminal damage to the tree and the wall, on 28 September 2023.

They are accused of driving from Carlisle to the Sycamore Gap, where prosecutors say one used a chainsaw to fell the tree, while the other filmed the act on a mobile phone.

On the second day of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court, jurors were shown a video lasting 2mins 41secs, taken from Mr Graham’s iPhone, that allegedly showed the sycamore being chopped down. The grainy footage appeared to show the outline of a figure working at the trunk of the tree, before it crashed to the ground.

Police analyst Amy Sutherland told the court that the coordinates for where the video was filmed were for Sycamore Gap. Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the video was taken at 12.31am on 28 September.