logo
Two men found guilty of chopping down iconic UK tree

Two men found guilty of chopping down iconic UK tree

France 2409-05-2025

A jury at Newcastle Crown Court found former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, guilty of criminal damage for the 2023 felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap.
It had stood for nearly 200 years next to Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern England. The tree was so striking it featured in the 1991 Hollywood film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves".
They were convicted after around five hours of deliberation on two counts of criminal damage: to the sycamore and to the Roman wall, which was damaged when the tree fell on it.
Reacting to the verdict, the National Trust conservation body said the "needless felling" of the tree had "shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage.
"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," said a spokesperson.
'Moronic mission'
Prosecutors had told the court that the two men used a chainsaw to cut down the tree. It was, they said, "an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage", which they filmed on Graham's phone and shared with others.
Speaking after the conviction, Northumbria Police's Kevin Waring said: "We often hear references made to mindless acts of vandalism, but that term has never been more relevant than today.
"At no point have the two men given an explanation for why they targeted the tree -- and there never could be a justifiable one," he added.
Graham has "been in custody for his own protection after an episode in December", his lawyer Chris Knox told court on Friday.
The pair drove to the site near Hexham in Graham's Range Rover and felled the tree on the night of September 27, 2023, slicing through the trunk in "a matter of minutes", said prosecutor Richard Wright.
"Having completed their moronic mission, the pair got back into the Range Rover and travelled back towards Carlisle" where they lived, he added.
'Mindless act of destruction'
A video of the act recovered from Graham's phone was shared by the two men with "the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw, and a tree falling", said Wright.
The next day, in a voice message from Graham to Carruthers, Graham said "it's gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight," he added.
"They are loving it, they're revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it's funny, or clever, or big," said the prosecutor.
Gale Gilchrist, from the Crown Prosecution Service North, said that "in just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its (the tree's) historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.
"We hope our community can take some measure of comfort in seeing those responsible convicted today," she added.
The pair were jointly charged with causing £622,191 ($832, 821) of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 of damage to Hadrian's Wall, an ancient Roman fortification stretching from northwest to northeast England.
The two men have been remanded in custody -- Carruthers for his own protection. They will be sentenced on July 15.
The sycamore was a symbol of northeast England and a key attraction photographed by millions of visitors over the years, winning the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year in 2016.
Efforts are under way to see if it can be regrown from its stump or seeds.
The National Trust, which owns the wall and the tree, said it has grown 49 saplings from the sycamore's seeds, which will be planted this winter at sites across the UK.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ukrainian town mourns three siblings killed in Russian strike
Ukrainian town mourns three siblings killed in Russian strike

France 24

time28-05-2025

  • France 24

Ukrainian town mourns three siblings killed in Russian strike

Seventeen-year-old Roman was just a few days from graduating, while his 12-year-old sister and eight-year-old brother had field trips and holidays to look forward to, their school said. They were instead laid to rest on Wednesday, victims of a Russian missile attack on their home during the weekend as Moscow amped up strikes across Ukraine. At a funeral service for the children in Korostyshiv, their bodies were laid side by side in three open white coffins, their faces waxy and drawn. Red marks were visible on their faces, despite the make-up, bearing witness to the violence of the attack. Their parents were also wounded but survived. Russia's invasion has left tens of thousands of dead in Ukraine, both military and civilian. At least 630 children have been killed since the start of the war, according to the latest official figures. Korostyshiv, a town of about 20,000 people hundreds of kilometres from the front line, was deeply shaken by the attack. "It was something we have not faced since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," said Yuriy Denysovets, secretary of the town council. "We are seeing them off on their last journey," he said. Their school said in a statement they were "in pain", condemning the attack as brutal. Outside the community centre where the funeral service was taking place, hundreds of people gathered to watch the procession of the coffins. They stood in silence, some with their heads bowed, others clutching red carnations in their hands. 'They're gone' Inside the centre, a priest swung incense, while flickering candles cast a dim light on the mourners. "We are gathered here for Roman, Tamara and Stanislav, killed by a Russian missile," the priest said. A woman could be seen shaking her head. The children's father Igor was among the mourners, his eyes blackened and his face grazed. He struggled to hold back tears as his relatives, including his eldest son, tried to comfort him. "This family is very kind, very calm. They always found understanding with neighbours and friends," Denysovets said. The children's mother was unable to attend the service as she was still in hospital, but was expected to make a full recovery. The two older brothers were not at home during the attack. Oleksandr Martyniuk, 24, one of the brothers, said he learned of the strike after receiving a call from a friend saying his family's neighbourhood had been hit. He called his parents and brothers one by one, but "no one picked up". "My uncle said that it hit our house. My father and mother are in intensive care, and the children are gone," he told AFP. In front of the coffins, lined with stuffed animals and toys, relatives filed past to lay flowers, some clasping their faces in tears. A young girl rang a bell, a symbolic gesture signifying "the last bell of the school year", said headmaster Pavlo Pozniakov. The bodies were later taken into the cemetery, the sound of birds chirping through the air. The children's father was in tears. He looked away as the coffins were lowered into the ground. "They're gone," he cried out, shaking with sobs as he walked away from the grave. Oleksandr said he used to buy sweets for his siblings when he visited them. "I wish I could say... that it would stop as soon as possible and that there would be no more innocent victims." © 2025 AFP

Rome police catch man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter
Rome police catch man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter

Euronews

time23-05-2025

  • Euronews

Rome police catch man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter

A German tourist has been arrested in Rome on Wednesday after being caught riding down the street on a rented electric scooter with the marble base of a Roman column on the footplate. Officers saw the 24-year-old man transporting what he later called a "souvenir" on Via Vittorio Veneto, an upmarket street in the centre of the Italian capital near the Villa Borghese park. The man was cited for possessing a "cultural asset of historical and artistic interest," according to a statement from Rome's Carabinieri. Officers impounded the marble base and said it would undergo further checks to determine its place of origin. It was not immediately clear how the man came to be in possession of the ancient artefact, which weighed around 30 kilograms. The Special Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome has since authenticated the artefact and deemed it a cultural asset of historical and artistic interest, potentially belonging to one of the major archaeological sites in the Italian capital. The German tourist has been reported to the public prosecutor's office and accused of possessing stolen goods of cultural importance. The investigation continues, authorities said.

Rome police stop man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter
Rome police stop man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter

Euronews

time22-05-2025

  • Euronews

Rome police stop man carrying ancient marble slab on electric scooter

A German tourist has been arrested in Rome on Wednesday after being caught riding down the street on a rented electric scooter with the marble base of a Roman column on the footplate. Officers saw the 24-year-old man transporting what he later called a "souvenir" on Via Vittorio Veneto, an upmarket street in the centre of the Italian capital near the Villa Borghese park. The man was cited for possessing a "cultural asset of historical and artistic interest," according to a statement from Rome's Carabinieri. Officers impounded the marble base and said it would undergo further checks to determine its place of origin. It was not immediately clear how the man came to be in possession of the ancient artefact, which weighed around 30 kilograms. The Special Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Rome has since authenticated the artefact and deemed it a cultural asset of historical and artistic interest, potentially belonging to one of the major archaeological sites in the Italian capital. The German tourist has been reported to the public prosecutor's office and accused of possessing stolen goods of cultural importance. The investigation continues, authorities said. The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has said he fears Gaza may soon no longer be a 'land for Palestinians to live in' amid intensified Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. Asked in an interview with Euronews earlier this week about Israeli plans to control the Gaza Strip in its entirety, Lazzarini said: 'We have seen many (Israeli) plans, some of them more dystopian than the other.' One of those plans, seen exclusively by Euronews last week, suggested the IDF could temporarily introduce martial law and force civilians into designated security zones. 'There is absolutely no safe place,' Lazzarrini told Euronews. 'What I see for the time being is a continuation of the destruction, deaths and killing of the Palestinians in Gaza. And my fear is that we might reach a point where Gaza might not be a land anymore for Palestinians to live in.' On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised the entry of 'basic amounts' of food into Gaza after an eleven-week blockade on all humanitarian supplies. Israel says aid was cut off because it was being looted and 'monetised' by Hamas – which led the 7 October attacks on Israel that triggered the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza – and other militant groups. But Israel's decision to allow the entry of restricted amounts of food has been described as a 'smokescreen' by aid groups. The European Union and the UK have since announced they would revisit their trading relationship with Israel in response. 'It's a total outrage that we are confronted with a situation of starvation when it comes to Gaza. It's a completely fabricated one, a man-made one,' Lazzarini said. 'Basically, we are in a situation where hunger and food is being weaponized for political and military purposes.' Israel says a new aid operation it has initiated with the backing of the US will be up and running by the end of May. It would see a Swiss-registered, US-backed charity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) set up aid hubs with the assistance of private firms. Lazzarini rejected the scheme, saying it fails to meet 'any basic humanitarian principle, including humanity and impartiality.' GHF has said civilians in Gaza would be required to collect aid packages weighing as much as 20kg from limited distribution points. Lazzarini said the operation would cut off the 'most vulnerable' from aid and 'trigger forced displacement' while a military operation takes place. UNRWA has, until now, been the main provider of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But its activities in the occupied Palestinian territories were banned in January under two pieces of Israeli law. Israel has consistently accused the agency of being 'infiltrated' by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and European Union, among others. Nineteen UNRWA staff members were suspended last year amid suspicions they could have been involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel. The Israeli government also says it has evidence UNRWA facilities in Gaza were being used by Hamas operatives to shelter and store weapons. Lazzarini said the investigations into the 19 staff members were 'not conclusive' but that the agency suspended them regardless. 'Whenever there is an allegation that staff might be part of the armed group of Hamas, we will act quickly. But for that we need collaboration, we need information,' Lazzarini said. 'And over the last two years, I have repeatedly asked the government of Israel to share information with the UN or with UNRWA. Until today, we have never received any substantiated information.' UNRWA's finances have also suffered after the withdrawal of major donors, such as the US, which previously donated as much as $422 million (€372 million) annually to the agency. 'I really hope I will not be pushed into a situation where I have to announce the suspension of all our services,' Lazzarini said. 'This is something I unfortunately have to contemplate on a regular basis.' Lazzarini called on Western governments to 'not compromise our ability to respond to crises' with sweeping cuts to humanitarian aid budgets. Several Western governments including the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany and France have slashed their aid budgets considerably in recent months. 'I know that many countries are going through austerity, but cutting in international cooperation or humanitarian assistance is certainly not the area where countries should cut,' Lazzarini explained. 'If we do not address a crisis, people will want to leave and most likely come here, and then the cost will be much more expensive,' he explained, suggesting the cuts could trigger forced migration from crisis areas. Watch the full interview on the Europe Conversation in the video above.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store