Men jailed for felling ‘irreplaceable’ Sycamore Gap tree

Two men who chopped down the “irreplaceable” Sycamore Gap tree in an act of “sheer bravado” have each been jailed for four years and three months.

Daniel Michael Graham 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, were convicted of criminal damage after filming themselves using a chainsaw to illegally fell the landmark tree by Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.

Sentencing them at Newcastle Crown Court, Mrs Justice Lambert rejected a claim of “drunken stupidity” and said, while a full motive was not clear, felling the tree and the ensuing outrage gave the men “some sort of thrill”.

The National Trust, which owned the more than 100-year-old tree, said the landmark could “never be replaced”.

The pair, whose friendship imploded in the aftermath as the public revulsion became clear to them, drove to the site under the cover of darkness in the early hours of 28 September 2023.

They used the winds of Storm Agnes to help them topple the tree on to the Unesco World Heritage Site wall, the court heard.

The value of the tree was disputed with prosecutors saying it was worth about £458,000 and Graham’s team claiming it to be about £150,000, but Mrs Justice Lambert said the exact financial price did not really matter.

The judge said the tree was a landmark of Northumberland and “symbol of the untamed beauty” of the landscape around Hadrian’s Wall.

It was a place of “peace and tranquillity” which people returned to year after year, the judge said, adding it held great personal significance to many.

She said Carruthers used spray paint and a chainsaw to mark and then cut a wedge out of the tree, while Graham filmed it on his mobile phone.

Mrs Justice Lambert said a full motive was not clear, but she was “confident a major factor was sheer bravado,” adding the action of felling the tree and the outrage it caused gave the men “some sort of thrill”.

The men then “revelled in [their] notoriety” in the aftermath, the judge said.

She also rejected Carruthers’ claim that he was drunk as the mission required skill and coordination as well as a “high degree” of planning by the two “experienced tree surgeons”.

The tree had been planted in the late 1800s to be a “feature in the landscape”, fulfilling that ambition and more by becoming a much-loved visitor destination and landmark at the former frontier of the Roman Empire.

It found global fame after featuring in a scene of the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner, and was popular with photographers and artists.

In a statement read to the court, National Trust manager Andrew Poad said: “This iconic tree can never be replaced.”

He said the trust cared for the “totemic symbol” on behalf of the nation and it “belonged to the people”.

The tree was a “place of sanctuary” for many and its destruction led to an “unprecedented” outpouring of love and emotion, Mr Poad said, with the “overwhelming sense of loss and confusion felt across the world”.

He said the reason for the “malicious” and “mindless” vandalism was “beyond comprehension” and the way it was felled to land across the Roman wall was “reckless in the extreme”.

But, he added that there were “signs of life” with shoots emerging from the stump, while seeds taken from the tree had been used to grow saplings which would be placed around the country.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said there had been “significant planning” with the tree felled in a “deliberate and professional” manner.

The court heard both men had since admitted involvement in the expedition to probation officers.

In mitigation, Carruthers’ barrister Andrew Gurney said the mechanic from Wigton would carry the burden of regret for his “stupid act” as a “personal penance” for the rest of his life.

Mr Gurney also said many people had asked why he did it, to which the reply was: “Unfortunately it is no more than drunken stupidity.”

Christopher Knox, for Graham, said the groundworker from near Carlisle had had multiple struggles and mental health problems and had made a “serious attempt” to take his own life in December which resulted in a long hospital stay and then him being remanded into prison.

He also said people had attacked Graham’s caravan and sent him hate mail showing “unpleasant” and “malign intent” towards him.