'It was just a tree...it was as if someone had been murdered' says Sycamore Gap accused

A MAN accused of felling the iconic Sycamore Gap tree has told jurors he could not understand the extent of the public outrage.

- By Paul Jeeves Crime Editor

Adam Carruthers branded the historic feature beside Hadrian's Wall "just a tree", saying it was "almost as if someone had been murdered".

The mechanic, 32, spoke as he launched his defence case alongside his co-accused, former friend Daniel Graham, at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutors say he and ground worker Graham, 39, drove overnight from Carlisle to the Northumberland landmark in September 2023, during Storm Agnes, and cut down the tree using a chainsaw.

Graham, of Carlisle, and Carruthers, right, from Wigton, Cumbria, are charged with causing £622,191 of damage to the tree.