'Drunken stupidity': Two men jailed for destroying iconic Sycamore Gap tree in UK; incident caught on camera
Two people were sentenced for over four years on Tuesday for destroying Britain's iconic 'Sycamore Gap' tree, a beloved global landmark recognised for its striking silhouette that appeared in a Hollywood film.
The nearly 200-year-old sycamore stood magnificently in a distinctive dip alongside the historic Hadrian's Wall in northern England, serving as a favoured location for photographers, walkers and romantic proposals.
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted last month for deliberately felling the tree with a chainsaw after travelling from their residences during the night in September 2023.
They recorded their destructive act on Graham's mobile phone and subsequently boasted about it. Their friendship later deteriorated as public outrage intensified over their actions.
Initially, both denied involvement in destroying the tree, which appeared in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and caused damage to Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site constructed by Romans approximately 2,000 years ago.
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Their lawyers indicated that both men later acknowledged responsibility when speaking with probation officers. Carruthers' legal representative, Andrew Gurney, characterised the incident as "drunken stupidity".
Judge Christina Lambert, while imposing four-year-and-three-month sentences, stated the men had felled the tree out of "sheer bravado".
The National Trust, which manages the heritage site, reported in August signs of growth at the tree's base, suggesting potential regeneration.
Recently, Northumberland National Park announced plans to display the largest section of the tree in an installation near its original location.
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