Anonymous call that snared the tree-destroying vandals

"One of the lads who have done it, Adam Carruthers, has got the saw back in his possession," the muffled voice could be heard saying to the 101 operator.

- ALEX ROSS

That anonymous tip-off, made by Daniel Graham reporting his friend to police over the destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree, was the beginning of the downfall of a “best of pals” friendship that led to crime that prompted nationwide outrage.

The pair lived a 20-minute drive from one another in Cumbria and met some four years ago.

Their bond tightened quickly. When Graham’s father died, Carruthers, a mechanic, helped his new friend fix the chassis to a Land Rover Defender in time for the funeral. They began speaking every day on the phone, meeting up to four times a week.

One picture taken by Graham on his phone showed the pair working together on a tree project, while in another, a smiling Carruthers holds two owls. But as the pair’s friendship developed, an ugly plan to chop down the Sycamore Gap tree took shape. On the night of 27 September 2023, as Storm Agnes battered the region, the pair set out on their mission.