Mirror Daily Digest: Real reason Sycamore Gap was felled to major TV licence overhaul
Welcome to the Mirror's Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Tuesday, we're featuring everything from the real reason the Sycamore Gap tree was felled by vandals to the BBC admitting it is looking into a licence fee overhaul.
The Sycamore Gap vandals learned their fate earlier today as they were jailed for four years. Before their sentence was passed down the pair revealed the real reason they felled the famous tree. Elsewhere, the BBC director general revealed some key TV licence fee updates and Romeo Beckham continued to goad his estranged brother.
Sycamore Gap vandals reveal reason they chopped down famous UK landmark
This afternoon, our News team's focus has been drawn toward the courtroom as the Sycamore Gap vandals learned their fate for felling the famous tree. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, who chopped down the landmark have been put behind bars for four years and three months.
Defending their case, the pair offered an underwhelming excuse for the infamous felling, claiming that it was a drunken prank. Despite their defence claiming the act was "no more than drunken stupidity", neither the prosecution nor the judge were convinced.
Andrew Gurney, lawyer for Adam Carruthers, however said he could not offer a "better explanation". He said: 'People want to know 'Why? Why did you conduct this mindless act?' Unfortunately, it is no more than drunken stupidity. He felled that tree and it is something he will regret for the rest of his life. There's no better explanation than that.'
BBC licence fee overhaul - 'Fight is on' as 300,000 households stop paying
Following the controversies of Glastonbury, MasterChef and coverage of Gaza, BBC Director General Tim Davie faced a grilling today as the corporation's annual report was published. The report revealed 23.8m licences were in force at the end of the year, down from 24.1m in 2023-24.
The BBC has admitted it is looking into a licence fee overhaul as 300,000 more households have stopped paying it. The drop means a loss of about £50m in revenue for the corporation.
BBC Chair Samir Shah says in the annual report: 'The fight is on, and it is vital we now think very carefully about the kind of media environment we want for the UK.' He added they were searching for 'the best future funding model for the BBC'.
Romeo Beckham continues to goad Brooklyn as he poses with Harper
The three youngest Beckham siblings have proved they remain as tight knit as ever, despite eldest Brooklyn turning his back on them. With a close eye on Instagram, our Showbiz team spotted Romeo Beckham share some unseen photos with sister Harper to showcase their bond just as the feud with their older brother escalates.
The family has been rocked by a very public fallout that has now spilled into a social media war. David and Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz have chosen to distance themselves from the clan over the last year with things heating up when the young couple failed to attend football icon David's 50th birthday celebrations in May.
Brooklyn then did not send any message of support when David received his long awaited knighthood or a tribute on Father's Day. Instead, he has been loyal to his wife and shared gushing posts about Nicola as well as her family.
A British mum who claims she was fitted up for trafficking more than £300,000 worth of cocaine into Bali today issued a grovelling apology as she wept: "I won't trust people so easily again." Lisa Stocker, 39, is facing the death penalty in Indonesia after she was found with 992 grams of cocaine stashed in 17 packets of the dessert Angel Delight.
She appeared in Denpasar central court today alongside her husband Jon Collyer, 39, and Phineas Float, 31, after the three Brits all pleaded guilty to smuggling the narcotics into the island. The mum-of-three today sobbed as she told Judge Heriyanti that she had no idea that the Angel Delight packets were stuffed with drugs.
Collyer, who comforted his wife throughout proceedings, uttered just five words when he addressed judge Heriyanti: 'I won't do it again.' Stocker and Collyer, from East Sussex, were arrested at Bali's international airport on February 1.
Royal insider breaks silence on Prince Harry peace talks with telling update
After it emerged that Harry & Meghan's aides had met with the King's, a royal insider has offered fresh insight into the secret peace talks - and revealed what the summit in London means for future relations between father and son.
Harry's chief communications officer, and Liam Maguire, who runs Harry and Meghan's UK public relations team, met the King's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae at the Royal Over-Seas League in London last week. The meeting has been described by sources as informal, with casual drinks intended to open a channel of communication between both camps.
And now, one royal insider has told PEOPLE magazine: "It was a good first step. It is always better to be talking." They added: "It's a positive step. There's optimism that it can be taken forward."
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