'Mindless vandalism has never been a more relevant term'

THE two men who mounted a “moronic mission” to cut down the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree have been warned they face lengthy jail terms when they are sentenced.

- Paul Jeeves

Daniel Graham, 39, and accomplice Adam Carruthers, 32, were remanded in custody “for their own protection” by a judge yesterday after being convicted of two counts of criminal damage each.

The jury took just five hours to unanimously find the pair guilty after a two-week trial.

Prosecutors told how the “odd couple” did everything together and thought it would be “a bit of a laugh”. But they realised they “weren't the big men they thought they were” when faced with the public outrage at their “arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery”.

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