Two men who cut down Sycamore Gap tree jailed for more than four years
Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the Northumberland landscape.
They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian's Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument in September 2023.
Mrs Justice Lambert sentenced the pair, who have been held in custody following their trial in May, at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday.
At trial, Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors the pair had engaged in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the landmark, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying their equipment across pitch black moorland during a storm back in September 2023.
The judge said she was sure Adam Carruthers felled the tree and Daniel Graham drove them to the scene and filmed it and that both were equally responsible for the criminal damage.
They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered and revelled in the media coverage as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines.
Mr Wright told the sentencing hearing that since the trial both defendants have now admitted they 'went on the mission' but denied intending for the tree to be cut down, either saying they were intoxicated or that they 'didn't believe it would happen until it did'.
He said: 'The prosecution rejects these late admissions… The court can be sure they were sober and prepared to do what they did.'
Mr Wright told the court: 'This was an expedition which required significant planning in terms of taking a vehicle, driving for about 40 minutes to a car park, taking with them appropriate specialist equipment, carrying the equipment for about 20 minutes' walk in each direction.
'The felling was carried out in a deliberate, professional way.'
He said one of the aggravating factors was the site's heritage status and the defendants' attempts to avoid detection.
Mr Wright said they knew other people, including a young boy, had been arrested in connection with the offence and were 'closely following (the investigation) when they knew they were responsible'.
Andrew Poad, a National Trust manager, gave a victim impact statement which was read out by Rebecca Brown, prosecution junior counsel.
He said: 'This iconic tree can never be replaced.
'Whilst the National Trust has cared for it on behalf of the nation, it belonged to the people. It was totemic.'
Mr Poad added: 'An overwhelming sense of loss and confusion was felt across the world.
'The question was why anyone would do this to such a beautiful tree in such a special place.
'It was beyond comprehension.'
Mr Poad said an email address set up within days of the felling for people to share thoughts received 600 responses in a month.
One said: 'My husband proposed to me at Sycamore Gap under its leafy shelter. A few years ago after lockdown we took our children to see and walk the same section of the wall.
'I'm so glad we got to share such a beautiful and special spot with them before it was gone.'
The court was shown pictures of the new Sycamore Gap Celebration Room at The Sill site in Northumberland, and some comments left by people on a board and in the visitors' book.
One said: 'Nature at its best over 300 years, humanity at its worst over one night.'
Andrew Gurney, for Adam Carruthers, said his client had finally offered a motive for chopping down the tree and 'wishes to cleanse his conscience of what he has done'.
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.'
Chris Knox, defending Graham, said: 'He is a troubled man who has had very real difficulties in his life, which have not all been of his own making.'
Mr Knox said Graham, a groundworker, had set up a 'proper business which paid tax and did all the appropriate things'.
His home, and the business he operated from it, were attacked after he was remanded in custody, including having windows broken, the barrister said.
The tree was a symbol of Northumberland, was the site of countless family visits and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.
Its destruction, filmed on a mobile phone, took less than three minutes.
The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years and aggravating factors include whether it was done to a heritage or cultural asset and evidence of wider impact on the community.
The defendants were once close, working and socialising together, but have fallen out since their arrests and each blamed the other.
Graham's 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 mobile was traced to phone masts making the same journey.
When police arrested the pair and searched Graham's phone, they found a two minute and 41 second video which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on September 28, and had been sent to Carruthers.
Messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going 'wild' and 'viral'.
Graham claimed Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as 'the most famous tree in the world' and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure its circumference.
Carruthers denied this and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was 'just a tree'.
Detective Inspector Calum Meikle, who led the investigation, said police still did not know why the pair felled the tree.
He said: 'That is possibly the element of this entire case that is most frustrating to everybody, and it potentially is the one question that will never be truly known.'
The National Trust, which owned the tree, said it had received thousands of messages from well-wishers after the tree was attacked.
It has grown seedlings from the original sycamore which will be distributed to good causes around the country.
A spokesperson said: 'The Sycamore Gap tree was iconic and represented thousands of cherished trees across the country that benefit people, nature, and climate.
'We remain committed to working with partners to secure stronger protections for these irreplaceable natural treasures.'
A spokesperson for Northumberland National Park Authority said: 'Whilst today marks the end of the judicial process, work alongside our partners will continue, as we focus on reflecting public feeling about the tree and its cultural significance, as well as doing more for nature for the benefit of us all.'
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