Two former friends have been found guilty of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree in an act of “deliberate and mindless criminal damage”.
Ground worker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, drove overnight from Carlisle to the Northumberland landmark during Storm Agnes in September 2023, and cut down the tree with a chainsaw.
While prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court could not be sure which of the pair cut down the tree the jury was told that both men were jointly responsible for the “mindless vandalism”.
A video was also taken of the destruction by one of the two men, the court was told, and a wedge of the tree taken away as a “trophy”. The pair’s once close friendship fell apart as the police investigation closed in on them.
At Newcastle Crown Court, a jury found Graham, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, from Wigton, in Cumbria, guilty of two counts of criminal damage each relating to the tree and the Roman Wall – which the tree struck when it came down.
There was no visible reaction from either in the dock as the jury returned after just over five hours to convict them of causing £622,191 of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 of damage to the wall.
Both defendants will be sentenced on July 15.
The Sycamore Gap tree had stood for over a century in a dip next to Hadrian’s Wall in the Northumberland National Park, becoming a sacred place in the region for marriage proposals, scattering of ashes and birthdays.
Its destruction was met with wide public outcry, and there was much attention on the opening day of the trial, as the prosecutor Richard Wright KC accused the friends of completing the “moronic mission”.
After chopping it down, the pair appeared to gloat over their achievement.
Messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going “wild” and “viral”, referring to “an operation like we did last night” and joking that damage looked like it had been done by a professional.
Jurors heard Graham and Carruthers were “best of pals” at the time and regularly worked together felling trees. But the pair’s friendship unravelled as it soon became clear of the impact of the felling.
Giving evidence, Graham told jurors Carruthers had confessed to the crime the day after the tree came down, and admitted making an anonymous 101 call to police to report his friend.
The court heard Graham’s Land Rover was picked up on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap at night on September 27 2023, and returning early the next morning. His phone was traced to cell sites making the same journey.
When police arrested the pair and searched Graham’s phone, they found a two minute and 41 second video which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12:30am on September 28, and had been sent to Carruthers.
They also found photos and videos of a wedge of tree trunk and a chainsaw in the boot of Graham’s Range Rover, although these have never been found.
He accused Carruthers of taking his Range Rover and mobile phone to Sycamore Gap that night without his knowledge, saying he had now turned on his former friend because his business was being affected by Carruthers’ actions.
Graham claimed during his evidence that Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as “the most famous tree in the world” and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure the circumference.
Carruthers, despite being blamed by his friend, always claimed he knew nothing about who chopped the tree down and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was “just a tree”.
The National Trust responded to the verdict, and thanked the police and CPS for bringing the case to a resolution.
“The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage,” a spokesperson said.
“It was felt particularly deeply here in the north east of England where the tree was an emblem of the region and the backdrop to many personal memories.”
Historic England said the felling was “felt deeply in the North East” as well as “nationally and internationally” and said: “The needless destruction in September 2023 saw an outpouring of grief and disbelief that showed the strength of people’s connection with nature and heritage.
“We will continue to work with partners to create a lasting memory of the tree for people so that it will not be forgotten.”
This is a breaking story – more to follow…
