Sycamore Gap duo told court it was 'just a tree' and 'didn't understand the fuss'

Daily Record

16-07-2025

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, have been jailed for four years and three months after cutting down the iconic sycamore tree in a fold in the Northumberland landscape.
The infamous Sycamore Gap tree, a beloved Northumberland landmark, was felled in an act of "sheer bravado" by two men who have since been jailed.
‌
Their fleeting yet "moronic" act of destruction against the century-old tree has etched itself into local memory. The duo, previously on friendly terms with the community, became notorious: Daniel Graham, 39, dubbed "the man with no friends", and Adam Carruthers, 32, known as "the man with no brains".
‌
Graham eventually betrayed Carruthers, informing the police that his accomplice was responsible for toppling the iconic tree in September 2023. Both men received a sentence of four years and three months for criminal damage to the tree and additional harm to Hadrian's Wall, which was struck by the sycamore as it fell.
‌
During the trial at Newcastle Crown Court, it emerged that the pair had journeyed over 40 minutes from their Cumbria residences and navigated through a stormy, pitch-black moorland to commit the vandalism. They even removed a wedge from the tree as a souvenir and basked in the subsequent national and international media attention, with recordings of their boastful voice notes presented in court.
The question remains: what motivated these individuals to execute such a deed, and can it be dismissed merely as a "drunken prank"?, reports the Mirror.
Speaking in Graham's defence, Chris Knox informed the court: "He is a troubled man who has had very real difficulties in his life, which have not all been of his own making."
Residents from the locality recall Graham as a typical youngster prior to his parents' separation, which allegedly "sent him off the rails," the BBC reports. His father, Michael, tragically ended his own life in 2021, a devastating event which Graham discussed whilst testifying in court regarding his mental health battles.
For the previous decade, the vandal had been living in a static caravan situated on a piece of land just beyond Carlisle, on the edges of Kirkandrews-upon-Eden. Operating from this remote lane at a site called Millbeck Stables, he ran his business, DM Graham Groundworks.
‌
Journalist Kevin Donald characterised the location as "a strange little shanty".
"It's got a caravan, horses on the land and pillars at the entrance with lions on the top," he explained. Following his remand in custody, both his residence and the enterprise he conducted from there came under attack, his barrister revealed.
‌
Harold Bowron, Chairman of the village's Parish Hall Committee, described Graham as "a man of mystery, a bit of an odd-bod". His friendship with Carruthers began in 2021 after Graham had assisted him with work.
Carruthers, who resided in a caravan with his partner at Kirkbride Airfield, had fixed a Land Rover used at Graham's father's funeral. In court, Carruthers attempted to cast himself as a dedicated new father, asserting that he was at home with his partner Amy when the tree was chopped down.
In their defence, the duo presented a lacklustre justification for the notorious tree cutting, dismissing it as a drunken jest. Despite their lawyer's claim that the incident was merely "no more than drunken stupidity", this explanation failed to sway either the prosecution or the judge.
‌
Andrew Gurney, representing Adam Carruthers, pressed: "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."
‌
On Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lambert sentenced the pair, noting that while their motive remained murky, a significant element appeared to be "sheer bravado".
Addressing the defendants, she said: "Felling the tree in the middle of the night in a storm gave you some sort of thrill. You revelled in the coverage, taking pride in what you have done, knowing you were responsible for the crime so many people were talking about.
"Whether that was the sole explanation for what you did, I do not know, however I know you are both equally culpable."
‌
In a voicenote, Graham boasted: "It's gone viral, it is worldwide."
Later, Graham messaged: "Jeffrey, it's on f***ing Sky News as we speak."
Carruthers received a video from Graham showing the Sky News ticker. In a subsequent text, Graham remarked to Carruthers: "Not a bad angle on that stump", and complimented: "That's clearly a professional."
‌
The duo also exchanged Facebook comment screenshots regarding the vandalism, highlighting one that read: "Judging by the quality of the cut and size of tree I would say whoever it was has knowledge of how to fell large trees."
Beneath this, a comment from Kevin Hartness stated: "Some weak people that walk this earth disgusting behaviour."
‌
The court heard a voicenote from Graham to Carruthers about this comment, in which he said: "That Kevin Hartness comment. Weak... f****** weak? Does he realise how heavy s**t is?'".
Carruthers responded with a voice note of his own, saying: "'I'd like to see Kevin Hartness launch an operation like we did last night... I don't think he's got the minerals."
Although initially appearing to be in cahoots, Graham later changed his tune, pointing the finger at Carruthers as the instigator. He claimed to have kept a piece of the tree as a 'trophy', but when Carruthers was questioned during cross-examination at the trial about whether he had retained a trunk segment as a keepsake for his newborn daughter, he refuted the claim.
‌
Carruthers had previously felled a tree to commemorate the birth of his first daughter, Charlie, on 5 September 2018. He aimed to outdo himself for his second child, Olivia, by taking a piece from the renowned sycamore.
Like Graham, he spun a web of feeble excuses to conceal his reckless act, telling the court it was "just a tree" and that he "did not understand" the media uproar. Yet, it was evident he harboured a peculiar fascination with the Sycamore Gap tree, keeping in his workshop a piece of string used to measure its girth, biding his time until he would chop it down.
‌
The opportune moment for Carruthers arrived following the birth of Olivia. Merely 12 days after, he and Graham embarked in a black Range Rover to claim a "trophy" for her, a slice from the trunk of what Carruthers dubbed: "The most famous tree in the world."
The accused were once tight-knit pals but have since become estranged post-arrest, with Graham betraying Carruthers. The police were tipped off about the duo's involvement in the offence, and Graham became the target of a vicious social media backlash.
He was compelled to erase his name from his business vehicles and, in a covert call to Northumbria Police, identified Carruthers as the individual responsible for felling the tree. When the court proceedings initially began, the duo arrived together, both donning balaclavas to conceal their faces.
‌
However, it wasn't long before Graham appeared solo, opting to forego any disguise.
During his trial testimony, Graham conceded that he and Carruthers had once been close but insisted he now had 'no friends'. "You could say I am anti-social," he declared.
"I don't have much time for people."
‌
He alleged that on the evening the tree was chopped down, his car and phone were used without his consent. ANPR cameras captured Graham's Range Rover travelling between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap on the night of September 27, 2023, and recorded its return journey the following morning.
His mobile phone was also tracked to masts along the same route. The judge stated that based on confessions made in their pre-sentence reports, she was convinced that Carruthers was the one who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree while Graham drove him there and recorded the act on his phone.
‌
Addressing them, she said: "Adam Carruthers, you told a probation officer you had no idea why you carried out the crime and could offer no explanation. You said you had drunk a bottle of whisky after a tough day and everything was a blur.
"Daniel Graham, as during the trial, your main focus seemed to be to heap as much blame as possible on your co-defendant. You now accept you were present but blame him for what happened that night."
The judge continued: "You told the probation officer it was (Carruthers') 'dream and his show' and you just went along with it."
‌
Mrs Justice Lambert stated: "Although there may be grains of truth in what you said, I do not accept your explanations are wholly honest or the whole story.
"Adam Carruthers, your account that you had so much to drink that you had no memory of what happened is not plausible. The tree felling demonstrated skill and required deliberate and co-ordinated actions by you... It was not the work of someone whose actions were significantly impaired through drink.
"Nor, Daniel Graham, do I accept you just went along with your co-defendant. You filmed the whole event, you took photos of the chainsaw and wedge of trunk in the boot of your Range Rover. The next day, you appeared to revel in coverage of your actions in the media. This is not the behaviour of someone who is shocked and horrified by what has happened."
‌
In the lead up to his 'moronic mission', Graham harboured resentment towards authorities who denied his request to reside near Hadrian's Wall, finding himself embroiled in a contentious planning dispute with his local council. Cumberland Council issued an enforcement notice for his home and business premises at Millbeck Stables, located on the fringes of Carlisle, Cumbria, within the 'buffer zone' of Hadrian's Wall's UNESCO World Heritage site.
Residents and planning officials from Beaumont Parish Council, a secluded rural community in Cumbria, recounted feeling intimidated by Graham's 'dominant and oppressive behaviour'. His retrospective application to live on the site of his Millbeck Stables was rejected by the council, and he was warned of potential eviction.
He was given until October 28, 2025, to secure 'other accommodation', but his immediate future will now be spent behind bars. This decision implies that Graham will be without a home upon his release from prison.
A final rejection letter was issued in April 2023, and the Sycamore Gap tree was cut down just over five months later. Several locals opposed his application to live on the site, and speculate that his anger towards authority may have fuelled his criminal act.