'Arboreal thuggery': Two men found guilty of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree

USA Today

09-05-2025

'Arboreal thuggery': Two men found guilty of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Arbor Day: What to know about the holiday celebrating trees
Arbor Day began in Nebraska in the late 1800s. Here's everything you need to know about the holiday all about trees and nature.
LONDON − A British court convicted two men of cutting down a tree in northern England that captivated hearts and minds and was made Hollywood-famous, in a "deliberate and mindless act of destruction."
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted May 9 of two counts of criminal damage for felling the so-called Sycamore Gap tree on Sept. 27, 2023. The tree majestically stood in a grassy beauty spot near an ancient wall built by Roman Emperor Hadrian almost 2,000 years ago.
"The Sycamore Gap has been an iconic natural landmark in the North East of England, bringing immeasurable joy to those visiting the area," the Crown Prosecution Service, a national agency that works with police and courts to keep the public safe, said in a statement. "In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy."
'Princess Diana' moment: Why UK is heartbroken by a grisly murder whose victim was a tree
For many, the Sycamore Gap tree was an icon of remembrance, making memories and marking time. The tree was planted in the late 1800s and estimated to be almost 200 years old when it was felled. It stood at the center of a pronounced dip in a landscape of rolling hills alongside Hadrian's Wall. The tree was a place for first kisses, marriage proposals, birthday celebrations and intimate ceremonies. It won Britain's National Tree of the Year competition in 2016 and its scenic location was a popular spot for hikers, photographers and stargazers.
It featured in the 1991 movie, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," starring the actors Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. In the movie, a young boy is pursued by soldiers with dogs for stealing the Sheriff of Nottingham's − played by Alan Rickman − livestock to feed his starving family.
The boy hides aloft in the Sycamore Gap tree's branches. His pursuers take out axes to cut down tree before he is saved by Robin of Loxley (Costner) and his trusted bodyguard, friend and adviser, Azeem (Freeman).
A national treasure
"This wasn't just a tree," said Sarah Dodd, a British lawyer who specializes in tree law.
"It was a national treasure."
Steve Blair is the manager of Twice Brewed Inn, a family-owned pub and hotel where walkers often gathered for a meal and cozy pint by the fire before making the picturesque one-mile walk to the tree.
He said he knew "one gentleman who sprinkled his wife's ashes at the tree's base because it was such an important place for her." When the tree was felled, it landed near where her ashes were sprinkled.
"He finds that really offensive, you know?"
Graham and Carruthers, who denied cutting the tree down, will be sentenced on July 15.
They were found guilty after an eight-day trial at Newcastle crown court. It took the jury five hours to reach unanimous verdicts. The judge in the case said they would face a lengthy jail sentence. The prosecutor, Richard Wright, described the crime as a "moronic mission" and the "arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery."