Men Jailed for Felling Sycamore Gap Tree

Two men who carried out a "moronic mission" to fell one of the most loved and photographed trees in the UK have been jailed.

- Mark Brown

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were each given prison sentences of four years and three months for an act of criminal damage that caused the Sycamore Gap tree to crash down onto Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland in the middle of a stormy September night in 2023.

The attack, using a chainsaw, was met with sadness, disbelief, and anger that rippled around the world.

Sentencing the men at Newcastle crown court, Mrs Justice Lambert said the motive was unclear but she rejected a claim by Carruthers that he was drunk.

The judge said Carruthers cut down the tree with a chainsaw while Graham filmed him, suggesting that "sheer bravado" and "some sort of thrill" were likely factors.

The sycamore was probably planted in the late 19th century and in recent decades the site was known as a beauty spot where people went to picnic, celebrate birthdays, propose marriage, spread ashes or just take photos.

Graham, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, from Wigton, were found guilty in May of the criminal damage of the tree and the wall beside it, a Unesco world heritage site.

They had denied the offence even though there was evidence that Graham's car had been used to drive to the beauty spot with a chainsaw in the boot.