Cheshire fire service spent £150k pursuing prosecutions
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service initially pursued six firms, but action against two of them was subsequently dropped.The trial against the remaining four began earlier this month, but the fire service said it had "regrettably" decided to withdraw its prosecutions.At the time, chief fire officer Alex Waller said: "Following extensive legal submissions heard over the first two days of the trial, unfortunately it became clear this morning that there would be no realistic prospect of securing convictions."Around 150 people, many who were elderly or vulnerable, were left homeless by the fire and lost their possessions. Nobody was injured.
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Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The damning evidence that convicted 'moronic' Sycamore Gap tree duo: Arrogant pair thought they'd got away with tree felling that shocked the world.... but left vital clues
The police chief who investigated the felling of the Sycamore Gap today said he knew he'd solved the crime when he saw it's 'fantastically famous outline' filmed on one of the perpetrator's mobile phones. Detective Inspector Calum Meikle revealed officers were 'tipped off' about Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers' involvement a few weeks after the world famous tree was chopped down, in September 2023. The 'intelligence' stated the pair of ground workers were responsible and had kept part of the tree as a trophy. It led officers to arrest both men and seize their phones. Initially, Mr Meikle said, a two minute and 41 second video retrieved from Graham's device was 'all black.' But they sent it to be digitally enhanced and when it came back the film was 'shocking.' There were gasps in the courtroom at Newcastle Crown Court when the now iconic grainy black and white video, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a revving chainsaw and cracking wood, was shown for the first time. 'I'm always impressed with what our digital forensic units are able to achieve,' Mr Meikle told the Mail. 'But, as you have seen from the video, as the person filming moves back, it shows us that fantastically famous outline (which) was undoubtedly the Sycamore Gap tree. 'I was very pleased to have that evidence.' Photographs of a wedge of the tree trunk and a chainsaw in the boot of Graham's Range Rover were also recovered from his phone. Today Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, were jailed for four years and three months for felling the tree during a 'moronic mission' and damaging Hadrian's Wall in the process. The court heard the pair, both from Cumbria, had only recently admitted, in interviews with the Probation Service, that they were responsible. They now accepted they had driven 30 miles through a storm to chop down the iconic landmark, in the early hours of September 28, 2023. Mrs Justice Christina Lambert said: 'I can now be sure you, Adam Carruthers, were the person who felled the tree and you, Daniel Graham, assisted and encouraged him by driving there and back and not least by filming it on your phone.' Carruthers then forwarded the video to his partner as they fled the scene. They also took the pictures of the wedge, which has never been found. The following morning, when news broke of the vandalism, the pair shared social media posts about the tree with Graham saying to Carruthers 'here we go,' as they 'revelled' in news reports about the crime. Although prosecutors said the friends had chopped the famous tree down for 'a bit of a laugh,' and suggested Carruthers was so obsessed with the Sycamore Gap that he wanted the wedge as a special souvenir for his newborn daughter, neither has offered any proper explanation for why they did what they did. Today Carruthers claimed he had drunk a bottle of whisky and could barely remember felling the tree. But the judge said this was implausible because the act took skill and coordination. 'This was not the work of someone whose actions were significantly impaired through drink,' she said. Graham, in contrast, continued to blame his accomplice, insisting cutting the tree down had been Carruthers' 'dream' and 'his show' which he simply went along with. He also claimed he was 'shocked' when Carruthers went through with the plan. But Mrs Justice Lambert said the fact Graham filmed the felling and took photographs did not square with the behaviour of someone who was 'horrified and shocked' or was simply going along with Carruthers' plan. Instead the judge said both men were 'equally culpable.' They did it for 'sheer bravado' and also got 'some sort of thrill' out of the media coverage afterwards, she added. Mr Meikle said he understood why people were 'frustrated' by the lack of an explanation but said only Graham and Carruthers would be able to solve the mystery of their 'mindless thuggery.' 'As soon as anybody knows that I'm involved in this investigation, that's the first question they ask, they want to know why?' he added. 'That's something that we still don't fully understand. There are only two people that really will ever know. 'I certainly don't think that they fully understood the enormity of their actions. 'The local community are increasingly frustrated by the fact that they don't know why this has taken place, quite understandably. I am just happy to have delivered the two people that I know are responsible.' Mr Meikle said that the case could prompt Britain to re-examine the way trees are valued. 'I think this whole incident will raise further legislation because trees aren't afforded the same protection that an ancient monument gets,' he said. 'So whilst Hadrian's Wall is an ancient monument, the tree itself wasn't.' Graham and Carruthers were found guilty of causing £622,191 of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 of damage to Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco world heritage site owned by the National Trust. But Mr Meikle, who was asked to lead the inquiry for Northumbria Police because his father worked as a forester and he grew up with an understanding of the profession, insisted that what happened had far reaching consequences and, in many ways, was 'not just a (routine) criminal damage.' 'The tree means so much to so many people,' Mr Meikle added. 'That's why it will never be looked at as just a criminal damage or just a tree. 'It has been a very unique and very privileged role that I've held.' The sycamore had stood for more than 100 years and achieved worldwide fame when it was featured in the 1991 Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Sycamore Gap timeline: How damage to the landmark tree unfolded – September 28, 2023 12.32am A video is made on Daniel Graham's phone showing the sound of a chainsaw, followed by the sound of a tree falling 9.46am Police receive a report that the Sycamore Gap tree has been damaged. The investigation begins – October 31, 2023 Graham and Adam Carruthers are arrested and interviewed. Police find two chainsaws, and a chainsaw blade and cover at Graham's house – November 3, 2023 Graham and Carruthers are arrested and interviewed again. Carruthers' property is searched and a chainsaw is found – April 30, 2024 Graham and Carruthers are charged with criminal damage. They both later plead not guilty. - April 28, 2025 The trial of Graham and Carruthers begins at Newcastle Crown Court - May 9, 2025 Graham and Carruthers are found guilty of cutting down the tree in an act of 'deliberate and mindless criminal damage' July 15, 2025 Graham and Carruthers sentenced The trial heard that the police investigation into the damage initially included people who had issues with the National Trust, and even a young boy who reported his brother. Opening the case to jurors, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: 'Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes.' Graham and Carruthers were 'best of pals' at the time and regularly worked together felling trees. Graham's black Range 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 the video which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on September 28, that had also been sent to Carruthers. They also found photos and videos of the wedge and chainsaw in the boot of Graham's 4x4, although these have never been found. 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. A man named Kevin Hartness posted about the tree on Facebook, writing: 'Some weak people that walk this earth; disgusting behaviour.' Carruthers sent this post to Graham, and later sent a voice note in which he said: 'I'd like to see Kevin Hartness launch an operation like we did last night… I don't think he's got the minerals.' In August last year, Graham made an anonymous phone call to the police in an attempt to implicate his friend and save himself. Officers instantly recognised his voice as he told them that 'one of the lads that [did] it, Adam Carruthers,' had taken his chainsaws back home. The 'anonymous caller' said if police searched Carruthers' home and workshop they would find the saws and part of the felled tree, along with a shotgun and a pistol. No firearms, chainsaws or the tree wedge were found, however. On December 1, 2024, days before the trial was originally scheduled to begin, Graham took to Facebook to accuse Carruthers of felling the tree, posting a series of images of his former friend. 'I truly would not do it,' he wrote. 'It's my picture everywhere. Well, here's a picture of the man with [the] hidden face.' In a tense exchange with Mr Wright during his cross examination, Graham tried to justify turning on his friend. He said Carruthers and an associate had tried to intimidate him into taking the blame for cutting down the tree, insisting that the criminal justice system would be lenient towards him due to his mental health issues. He added: 'If someone is costing me money and affecting my business then I will f***ing grass. 'No doubt about it he [Carruthers] is the one holding the chainsaw. Adam felled the tree, I don't know 100 per cent who the other person was. 'I was annoyed about my business suffering through his actions.' To explain away number plate and phone site evidence against him, Graham insisted that Carruthers and an accomplice had taken his car, with his phone inside, and driven to the Sycamore Gap without his knowledge while he had been sleeping in his caravan. Graham and Carruthers, seen here in a court sketch, were arrested in connection with the felling of the tree in October 2023 Carruthers, for his part, did not directly accuse Graham of being involved in felling the tree. But he insisted that on the evening the tree was felled he had tried to take his partner and young children for a meal at the Metrocentre in Gateshead but turned back because their 11-day-old baby was unsettled. Jurors rejected these flimsy alibis and found the pair unanimously guilty. The iconic tree that captured the world's imagination: Sycamore Gap became a backdrop to Hollywood blockbuster and site of helicopter crash that nearly killed a national treasure Known to some as the Robin Hood Tree after its appearance in Kevin Costner's 1991 film, Sycamore Gap was one of the most photographed trees in the country. It stood next to Hadrian's Wall near Crag Lough in Northumberland and is believed to have been planted in the early 18th century. It is said to have once stood alongside others but eventually became the only one left - making it especially photogenic. In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the hero - played by Costner - is seen pulling leaves from the tree as he walks under it with the warrior Azeem, who is played by Morgan Freeman. The tree also featured in the music video for American star Bryan Adams' hit (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which was the soundtrack for Costner's Robin Hood film. In 2003, the tree escaped damage when a helicopter that was filming documentary series British Isles - A Natural History crashed less than 100 feet away. The four onboard the aircraft were injured, but presenter Alan Titchmarsh, who was standing on the ground, narrowly escaped harm. Titchmarsh said at the time: 'I was pretty shaken and I was worried the copter was going to explode. The crew scrambled out and ran like hell.' An eyewitness added: 'Alan Titchmarsh was very lucky not to be hit. 'He was almost underneath the helicopter when it fell but jumped out of the way as it came down.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Five further arrests made over incident at Israeli defence firm's UK site
Five further arrests have been made over a pro-Palestine protest at an Israeli-based defence firm's site. The incident happened at the Elbit Systems UK building near Patchway in South Gloucestershire on August 6 last year. Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said a group of people forced their way into the building, causing 'extensive damage'. Employees of the company and two police officers were 'seriously assaulted', police added. Following a series of warrants at locations across the country on Tuesday, five people have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, police said. These are: a 66-year-old man from Bristol; a 20-year-old woman from Whitstable, Kent; a 19-year-old man from London; a 27-year-old man from London; and a 33-year-old man from London. They all remain in custody. Shortly after the incident last year, 10 people were arrested, with a further eight arrested in November 2024. They have all been charged with various offences and are awaiting trial.
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK's top defence maker BAE Systems ‘confident' of receiving orders for Typhoon jets
British weapons manufacturer BAE Systems has said it is confident of receiving further export orders of the Typhoon fighter jet, a development that would secure the future of several hundred jobs at its factory in Lancashire. The company is hoping for as many as 150 more orders for the jet, with up to two-thirds of those expected to be assembled in the UK. It comes after Unite, a union representing manufacturing workers, raised concerns over the future of the assembly line at Warton. Richard Hamilton, who leads work on the Typhoon for BAE Systems, said he was 'really confident' of future orders, with Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia the likely buyers. FTSE 100 manufacturer BAE Systems is the UK's dominant defence maker, producing weapons ranging from tanks, to warships and nuclear submarines, as well as fighter jets. However, Unite last week said work on the Typhoon's UK assembly lines had stopped because there were no future orders, threatening its closure. The Typhoon, also known as the Eurofighter, was developed as a joint project between the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, and has been a mainstay of the Royal Air Force for two decades, including intercepting Russian aircraft since the invasion of Ukraine. Manufacturing work is shared out between the nations, but each country assembles the planes it has ordered, as well as those of export partners. In the UK's case, the Ministry of Defence has not ordered any more of the jets, despite recently confirming a further order of US-made F-35 aircraft. The UK has not secured further exports of the Typhoon to other nations, which has meant work has stopped on the final assembly line at Warton, raising concerns among unions over as many as 500 jobs. Hamilton said that 'we have no intention at the moment of reducing manufacturing headcount', and suggested that workers could be redeployed on other projects if there were an extended gap until the next orders. 'I want to build more Typhoons here, and I believe we will build more Typhoons here,' he said. BAE is working on upgrades to the Typhoon's electronics, including new computer systems and radar, to extend its time in service. Hamilton said a commitment to the upgrades by the UK government would make it more likely other countries would order the planes. New orders could mean continued production of the Typhoon in the UK for another decade. BAE is also a key part of a consortium of the UK, Italy and Japan producing a new fighter jet, known as Tempest, which is due to enter service in 2035. The UK government has backed Saudi Arabia's efforts to join the Tempest programme, despite controversy over the country's human rights record, including the allegedly state-sanctioned murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its long involvement in the civil war in Yemen. BAE Systems executives said the company was on track to fly a demonstrator aircraft by 2027. Keir Starmer last month committed to raise defence spending to the equivalent of 3.5% of GDP in line with Nato allies. Part of that increase will be paid for by cuts to the international aid budget.
