Sycamore Gap pair jailed for four years

THE two men who felled the tree at Sycamore Gap have each been jailed for four years and three months.

- TOM WILKINSON AND KATIE DICKINSON

Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the Northumberland landscape.

They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian's Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument in September 2023.

Mrs Justice Lambert sentenced the pair, who have been held in custody following their trial in May, at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday.

She told the defendants: “Felling the tree in the middle of the night in a storm gave you some sort of thrill.

“You revelled in the coverage, taking pride in what you have done, knowing you were responsible for the crime so many people were talking about.

“Whether that was the sole explanation for what you did, I do not know, however I know you are both equally culpable.”