UK TimesUK Times
  • Home
  • News
  • TV & Showbiz
  • Money
  • Health
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
What's Hot

Neighbors outraged after city bans kids from playing in the street – UK Times

9 May 2025

A1033 westbound between Hedon and A63 | Westbound | Road Works

9 May 2025

European leaders set to travel to Kyiv as the US, France, Germany, Poland and the UK call for 30-day ceasefire

9 May 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
UK TimesUK Times
Subscribe
  • Home
  • News
  • TV & Showbiz
  • Money
  • Health
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Travel
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
UK TimesUK Times
Home » 2 men convicted of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England in 2023 – UK Times
News

2 men convicted of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England in 2023 – UK Times

By uk-times.com9 May 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Breaking News

Two men were convicted Friday of cutting down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England in 2023 in an unexplained act of vandalism that caused widespread outrage.

A Newcastle Crown Court jury found Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers guilty of two counts each of criminal damage for felling the tree and toppling it onto the ancient Hadrian’s Wall.

The tree was not Britain’s biggest or oldest, but it was prized for its picturesque setting symmetrically planted between two hills along the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire, and had attracted generations of followers.

The tree had been known to locals but received international attention in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.” It drew tourists, lovers, landscape photographers and even those who spread the ashes of loved ones.

“For over a century, Sycamore Gap has been an iconic natural landmark in the northeast of England, bringing immeasurable joy to those visiting the area,” Gale Gilchrist, chief prosecutor for the region, said in a statement after the verdict. “In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.”

Jurors deliberated about four hours on Thursday and reached a verdict after meeting less than 30 minutes Friday morning.

Neither defendant showed any visible reaction as the verdicts were read.

Justice Christina Lambert ordered both men held in custody until sentencing on July 15 and said they could face “a lengthy period in custody.” The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years in prison.

The defendants, once close friends, both testified that they had nothing to do with cutting down the tree. Graham pointed the finger at Carruthers.

Prosecutors showed grainy video from Graham’s phone of the tree being cut down — a video sent shortly afterward to Carruthers’ phone. Metadata showed it was taken at the tree’s location in Northumberland National Park. Data showed Graham’s Range Rover had traveled there.

Prosecutor Richard Wright said he couldn’t say who cut the tree and who held the phone, but the two men were the only people in the world who had the video on their devices.

The following day, Carruthers and Graham exchanged text and voice messages that captured their excitement as the story went viral.

Prosecutors offered no evidence of a motive for the crime other than calling it senseless vandalism. But Wright suggested to jurors in his closing argument that the men cut the tree down for “a bit of a laugh” but had failed to realize the anger they would spark in the “arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery.”

“They woke up the morning after and soon realized — as the news media rolled in, as the outrage of the public became clear — it must have dawned on them that they couldn’t see anyone else smiling,” Wright said. “Far from being the big men they thought they were, everyone else thought that they were rather pathetic.”

Prosecutors originally said the tree was valued at more than 620,000 pounds (around $830,000) and damage to the wall was estimated at 1,100 pounds (nearly $1,500).

But on Friday prosecutor Rebecca Brown said those figures are in dispute and are likely lower, but would still fall in the top category of harm for sentencing purposes.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Telegram Email

Related News

Neighbors outraged after city bans kids from playing in the street – UK Times

9 May 2025

A1033 westbound between Hedon and A63 | Westbound | Road Works

9 May 2025

Zendaya’s wedding dress will remain secret, ‘nobody will ever see’ it, says stylist Law Roach – UK Times

9 May 2025

A1033 eastbound between A63 and Hedon | Eastbound | Road Works

9 May 2025

M1 southbound between J11 and J10 | Southbound | Congestion

9 May 2025

Mercenary and coup plotter dies | UK News

9 May 2025
Top News

Neighbors outraged after city bans kids from playing in the street – UK Times

9 May 2025

A1033 westbound between Hedon and A63 | Westbound | Road Works

9 May 2025

European leaders set to travel to Kyiv as the US, France, Germany, Poland and the UK call for 30-day ceasefire

9 May 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest UK news and updates directly to your inbox.

© 2025 UK Times. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Go to mobile version