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Pair who cut down Sycamore Gap tree jailed for ‘moronic mission'

Pair who cut down Sycamore Gap tree jailed for ‘moronic mission'

Independent15-07-2025
Two men, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, have been jailed for four years and three months each for felling Britain's iconic Sycamore Gap tree.
The much-loved sycamore, estimated to be almost 200 years old, stood beside Hadrian's Wall and featured in the film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves".
Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, were found guilty last month of deliberately cutting down the tree with a chainsaw in September 2023, in an act of vandalism described by the prosecution as a 'moronic mission'.
Judge Christina Lambert stated the men acted out of "sheer bravado" when sentencing them for the act.
The felling also damaged part of Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, though there are signs of life at the tree's base and its largest part will be displayed.
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