Latest news with #Roman-built
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sycamore Gap: Two men convicted of felling one of UK's most famous trees
Two men have been found guilty of criminal damage for felling a landmark sycamore tree in northern England. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were each found guilty of two counts of criminal damage, one relating to the tree and the other to Hadrian's Wall that the tree fell on, according to the UK's PA Media news agency on Friday. The verdict was handed down following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court in northeast England. Both men will be sentenced on July 15. They will remain in custody until then, the judge ruled, noting that Graham has already been in custody 'for his own protection' since December. Mrs Justice Lambert also remanded Carruthers, saying there 'is a substantial risk' he will fail to surrender as well as a risk to his own welfare since his identity is widely known. The tree had stood sentinel on Britain's Roman-built Hadrian's Wall for more than 200 years before being 'deliberately felled' in September 2023 in what authorities at the time called an 'act of vandalism.' The sycamore tree, located in the Northumberland National Park in northern England, was made famous to millions around the world when it appeared in Kevin Costner's 1991 blockbuster movie 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.' The tree - at a spot known as 'Sycamore Gap' – was located on the historic UNESCO World Heritage listed Hadrian's Wall, which was constructed around 1,900 years ago to guard the furthest northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire. During the trial, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the felling was an act of 'mindless vandalism.' He detailed how the two men drove 30 miles (48 kilometers) at night to reach the tree before one cut it down while the other filmed it. The jury determined Graham and Carruthers caused £622,191 (about $826,000) of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 ($1,500) of damage to Hadrian's Wall, according to PA Media. Jurors heard how the two men sometimes worked together and had experience of cutting down large trees. Although originally the 'best of pals,' the two defendants now appear to have fallen out and their friendship has 'unravelled,' the court was told. During testimony, Graham told the court that Carruthers had told him that the tree 'was the most famous tree in the world' and had spoken about cutting it down, reports PA Media. This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- The Independent
Sycamore Gap trial live: Video filmed by defendant shows tree being chopped down, prosecutors tell court
A jury has been shown footage of what prosecutors say is the moment the Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are both charged with two counts of criminal damage relating to the tree and a section of the Roman-built wall it fell on on the night of 27 September 2023. The pair are accused of driving from Carlisle to the beauty spot in Northumberland, where one used a chainsaw to cut down the tree, while the other filmed the act. At their trial at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, police analyst Amy Sutherland talked through a video to jurors which apparently shows the moment the tree was felled. In the footage, an outline of a figure can be seen next to the trunk of a tree before it crashes to the ground. Ms Sutherland said the two-minute and 41-second video was in darkness but that sounds of a chainsaw could be heard. Opening the case to jurors on Tuesday, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: 'Whoever filmed the cutting down was as much responsible for the damage to the wall and the tree as the man wielding the chainsaw. They were in it together, and they were Carruthers and Graham.' Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, 32, from Wigton in Cumbria, deny all the charges against them. Defendant became a father for the second time less than two weeks before tree was felled, jury told A series of agreed facts are now being out by Rebecca Brown, junior prosecution counsel. These are details agreed by all legal parties that can be shared with the jury. They include the defendants' date of births, and also their children's. They reveal that Adam Carruthers, 32, became a father for the second time only 12 days before the tree was felled. Miss Brown says Carruthers had no previous convictions, reprimands, warnings or cautions. Alex Ross30 April 2025 15:42 Defendant searched 'police statement Sycamore Gap' As well as searching for the initial suspect, Amy Sutherland, the police analyst, said Daniel Graham also used YouTube to look up 'police statement Sycamore Gap'. He also did several searches for 'Sycamore Gap', she tells the jury. Ms Sutherland said Graham looked up an online article about the National Trust creating a replica of the fallen tree using a 3D scan. She said that the defendants were arrested on October 31 2023 and again on November 3. Alex Ross30 April 2025 15:13 Accused searched for earlier suspect in Sycamore Gap investigation, jury told The jury is now being given more information on the what was found on Daniel Graham's phone. Graham, along with Adam Carruthers, are accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree. Police analyst Amy Sutherland tells the jury that Graham's phone showed numerous Google searches for an earlier suspect in the police investigation who was later released with no further action. She said that between October 3 and October 5 searches were made on Graham's phone for 'Water Renwick' and 'Walter Renwick Plankey Mill'. Mr Renwick was arrested on September 29 2023 but was later told he would face no further action. Alex Ross30 April 2025 14:44 Back underway after lunch Following an adjournment for lunch, the trial is back underway with policy analyst Amy Sutherland giving evidence. Alex Ross30 April 2025 14:40 'It's on Sky News', defendant tells co-accused, jury told Following the felling of the tree, the court heard how Daniel Graham sent a voicenote to Adam Carruthers using his nickname, saying: 'Jeffrey, it's gone viral, it's gone worldwide, it will be on ITV News tonight.' Later, Graham sent another message saying: 'Jeffrey, it's on f****** Sky News as we speak.' Alex Ross30 April 2025 14:00 'Not a bad angle on that stump' - defendants' messages shared after tree felled Now we're hearing more on the messages shared between the defendants the day after the Sycamore Gap tree came down on the night of September 27, 2023. The jury is told by police analyst Amy Sutherland that in one message Graham said to Carruthers: 'Not a bad angle on that stump', adding: 'That's clearly a professional.' One screenshot sent by Carruthers to Graham showed Facebook comments with a circle around one that said: '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.' 30 April 2025 13:47 CCTV clip shows vehicle leaving Sycamore Gap tree car park Another video has now been shown to jurors, this time a CCTV clip taken from the Twice Brewed Inn close to the Sycamore Gap. It shows vehicle headlights coming from Steel Rigg car park, often used by people visiting the Sycamore Gap tree, at 12.58am on September 28. Police analyst Amy Sutherland has also said that Daniel Graham's phone connected to the network at 1.29am after being detached at 11.41pm. Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court are then shown images of a chainsaw and a piece of wood taken at around 2am, with metadata showing they were taken at Graham's home. Yesterday, it was prosecutor Richard Wright said it was likely the piece of wood was the wedge from cutting the tree, and it could have been kept as a trophy. Alex Ross30 April 2025 13:28 Full report: Mobile phone video showing 'Sycamore Gap tree felled' Footage played to the jury of the Sycamore Gap tree allegedly being felled has been released to the media. You can read our full report on the video here: Watch: Sycamore Gap video footage of 'tree being chopped down' Prosecutors say the video was filmed on the mobile phone of Daniel Graham, who is accused alongside Adam Carruthers of felling the Sycamore Gap tree Alex Ross30 April 2025 13:24 Chainsaw heard buzzing in enhanced version of felling video The video clip lasts two minutes and 40 seconds and recovered from Graham's phone was played to Newcastle Crown Court twice. Once showing the dark, raw footage, and a second time after it had been enhanced by a police specialist. In the enhanced black and white version, with audio of wind blowing and a chainsaw buzzing, a figure can been seen working at the trunk of the tree, before it finally crashes to the ground. Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said the original video was enhanced by changing the contrast, putting a border around the frame and brightening the film 'so it could be seen more clearly'. 30 April 2025 12:59 Jury shown video of 'Sycamore Gap tree being felled' Analyst Amy Sutherland introduced a video to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court which apparently shows the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree. She said it was taken from a phone which was taken from Daniel Graham's jacket pocket, and was two minutes and 40 seconds long. She said it was 'in darkness' but that 'sounds of a chainsaw' could be heard. Ms Sutherland told the court the video was in the downloads on Graham's phone and she had been able to get the coordinates of where it was filmed from the metadata. She said the coordinates were for Sycamore Gap. 30 April 2025 12:31
Epoch Times
30-04-2025
- Epoch Times
Sycamore Gap Accused ‘Revelled in News Reports of What They Had Done' to Tree
Two friends filmed themselves in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree before keeping a wedge of the trunk as a 'trophy' and 'revelling' in their infamy when news broke the next day, prosecutors told a jury. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are accused of driving from Carlisle to the Northumberland beauty spot in the dead of night to chop down the tree with a chainsaw. Prosecutors say one man cut across the trunk with 'expertise and a determined, deliberate approach' while the other recorded the felling on a mobile phone. They then sent messages to each other the next day about the story going 'wild' and 'viral,' with prosecutors saying they were 'excited' about what they had done. Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, Cumbria, are each charged with two counts each of criminal damage—one to the tree and one to the ancient Roman-built wall which is a Unesco World Heritage Site—on Sept. 28, 2023. Opening the trial to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Richard Wright, KC said the Sycamore Gap tree had stood for over a century in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in the Northumberland National Park, becoming 'a famous site, reproduced countless times in photographs, feature films, and art.' Related Stories 9/30/2023 9/28/2023 Wright told jurors: 'By sunrise on Thursday, September 28, the tree had been deliberately felled with a chainsaw in an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.' The court heard Graham and Carruthers are accused of travelling together, in Graham's Range Rover, from the Carlisle area where they lived towards Sycamore Gap before parking, walking for around 20 minutes to the tree, and cutting it with a chainsaw. Wright told the jury: 'Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes. 'Having completed their moronic mission, the pair got back into the Range Rover, and travelled back towards Carlisle. 'During that return journey Mr. Carruthers received a video of his young child from his partner. He replied to her 'I've got a better video than that.' 'Minutes later the video of the felling of the tree was sent from Graham's phone to Carruthers's phone. 'At the time of that text conversation the only people in the world who knew that the tree had been felled were the men who had cut it down.' Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers appearing in the dock at Newcastle Magistrates' Court accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree, on May 15, 2024. Elizabeth Cook/PA Jurors heard that a photo and two videos were found on Graham's phone from 2 a.m. that day showing a piece of wood next to a chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover. The court heard that at the time Graham and Carruthers were 'friends who were regularly in each other's company.' Graham lived in Carlisle and had a groundwork company called D M Graham Groundworks while Carruthers told police during an interview he worked in property maintenance and mechanics. An investigation found the technique used to cut down the tree was a recognised technique in felling, and the position of a notch made in the trunk showed whoever did it knew the tree would fall on to the wall. The trial heard data from cell sites and automatic number plate recognition cameras showed Graham's phone and vehicle were together, travelling towards Sycamore Gap on the night that it was felled, while CCTV footage from the Twice Brewed Inn captured vehicle headlights making a left turn towards the Steel Rigg car park, which is used by people visiting Sycamore Gap, at 11:55 p.m. A video recovered from Graham's iPhone was shown to the jury, with Wright telling them it was 'extremely dark' but that they would hear 'the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw, and a tree falling.' The following morning, as the news broke, the defendants shared social media posts about it with each other, with Graham saying to Carruthers 'here we go.' Wright said Carruthers sent Graham a Facebook post from a man called Kevin Hartness saying, 'Some weak people that walk this earth disgusting behaviour.' Two minutes later Graham replied to Carruthers with a voice note saying: 'That Kevin Hartness comment. Weak … [expletive] weak? Does he realise how heavy [expletive] is?' Carruthers replied with his own voice note 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.' In one message, Graham said to Carruthers 'not a bad angle on that stump,' adding, 'That's clearly a professional.' Jurors were played a voice note from Carruthers to Graham saying: 'Someone there has tagged like ITV News, BBC News, Sky News, like news, news, news. I think it's gonna go wild.' Another voice note from Graham to Carruthers at 11:17 a.m. said: 'Jeffrey [a name Carruthers uses] it's gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight.' Wright told jurors: 'They are loving it, they're revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it's funny, or clever, or big.' The Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England, in an undated file photo. PA Wright said in the following days 'message after message' about the Sycamore Gap story were shared between them or screenshot and saved by Graham, showing they were 'gathering news of their infamy.' The court heard Graham and Carruthers's 'once close friendship appears to have unravelled,' with each of them now apparently blaming the other. Wright said: 'As we understand the defences, Graham denies that he was involved in any way. His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling. 'Carruthers on the other hand denies that he had anything at all to do with the felling of the tree and will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down.' The trial continues.
The Journal
29-04-2025
- The Journal
Two friends accused of cutting down famous UK tree filmed their 'moronic mission', court hears
TWO FRIENDS FILMED themselves in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree before keeping a wedge of the trunk as a 'trophy' and 'revelling' in their infamy when news broke the next day, prosecutors told a jury. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are accused of driving from Carlisle to the Northumberland beauty spot in the dead of night to chop down the tree with a chainsaw. Prosecutors say one man cut across the trunk with 'expertise and a determined, deliberate approach' while the other recorded the felling on a mobile phone. They then sent messages to each other the next day about the story going 'wild' and 'viral', with prosecutors saying they were 'excited' about what they had done. Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, Cumbria, are each charged with two counts each of criminal damage – one to the tree and one to the ancient Roman-built wall which is a Unesco World Heritage Site – on September 28 2023. Opening the trial to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the Sycamore Gap tree had stood for over a century in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in the Northumberland National Park, becoming 'a famous site, reproduced countless times in photographs, feature films, and art'. Mr Wright told jurors: 'By sunrise on Thursday September 28, the tree had been deliberately felled with a chainsaw in an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.' The court heard Graham and Carruthers are accused of travelling together, in Graham's Range Rover, from the Carlisle area where they lived towards Sycamore Gap before parking, walking for around 20 minutes to the tree and cutting it with a chainsaw. Adam Carruthers outside Newcastle Crown Court where he is accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Mr Wright told the jury: 'Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes. 'Having completed their moronic mission, the pair got back into the Range Rover, and travelled back towards Carlisle. 'During that return journey Mr Carruthers received a video of his young child from his partner. He replied to her 'I've got a better video than that'. 'Minutes later the video of the felling of the tree was sent from Graham's phone to Carruthers' phone. 'At the time of that text conversation the only people in the world who knew that the tree had been felled were the men who had cut it down.' Jurors heard that a photo and two videos were found on Graham's phone from 2am that day showing a piece of wood next to a chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover. Advertisement The court heard that at the time Graham and Carruthers were 'friends who were regularly in each other's company'. Graham lived in Carlisle and had a groundwork company called D M Graham Groundworks while Carruthers told police during an interview he worked in property maintenance and mechanics. An investigation found the technique used to cut down the tree was a recognised technique in felling, and the position of a notch made in the trunk showed whoever did it knew the tree would fall on to the wall. The trial heard data from cell sites and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras showed Graham's phone and vehicle were together, travelling towards Sycamore Gap on the night that it was felled, while CCTV footage from the Twice Brewed Inn captured vehicle headlights making a left turn towards the Steel Rigg car park, which is used by people visiting Sycamore Gap, at 11.55pm. A video recovered from Graham's iPhone was shown to the jury, with Mr Wright telling them it was 'extremely dark' but that they would hear 'the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw, and a tree falling'. The following morning, as the news broke, the defendants shared social media posts about it with each other, with Graham saying to Carruthers 'here we go'. Mr Wright said Carruthers sent Graham a Facebook post from a man called Kevin Hartness saying: 'Some weak people that walk this earth disgusting behaviour.' Two minutes later Graham replied to Carruthers with a voice note saying: 'That Kevin Hartness comment. Weak… f****** weak? Does he realise how heavy shit is?' Carruthers replied with his own voice note 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.' In one message, Graham said to Carruthers 'not a bad angle on that stump', adding: 'That's clearly a professional.' Jurors were played a voice note from Carruthers to Graham saying: 'Someone there has tagged like ITV News, BBC News, Sky News, like news, news, news. I think it's gonna go wild.' Another voice note from Graham to Carruthers at 11.17am said: 'Jeffrey (a name Carruthers uses) it's gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight.' Mr Wright told jurors: 'They are loving it, they're revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it's funny, or clever, or big.' Mr Wright said in the following days 'message after message' about the Sycamore Gap story were shared between them or screenshot and saved by Graham, showing they were 'gathering news of their infamy'. The court heard Graham and Carruthers' 'once close friendship appears to have unravelled', with each of them now apparently blaming the other. Mr Wright said: 'As we understand the defences, Graham denies that he was involved in any way. His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling. 'Carruthers on the other hand denies that he had anything at all to do with the felling of the tree and will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down.' The trial continues.
The Independent
29-04-2025
- The Independent
Sycamore Gap accused ‘revelled in news reports of what they had done' to tree
Two friends filmed themselves in a 'moronic mission' to cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree before keeping a wedge of the trunk as a 'trophy' and 'revelling' in their infamy when news broke the next day, prosecutors told a jury. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are accused of driving from Carlisle to the Northumberland beauty spot in the dead of night to chop down the tree with a chainsaw. Prosecutors say one man cut across the trunk with 'expertise and a determined, deliberate approach' while the other recorded the felling on a mobile phone. They then sent messages to each other the next day about the story going 'wild' and 'viral', with prosecutors saying they were 'excited' about what they had done. Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, Cumbria, are each charged with two counts each of criminal damage – one to the tree and one to the ancient Roman-built wall which is a Unesco World Heritage Site – on September 28 2023. Opening the trial to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the Sycamore Gap tree had stood for over a century in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in the Northumberland National Park, becoming 'a famous site, reproduced countless times in photographs, feature films, and art'. Mr Wright told jurors: 'By sunrise on Thursday September 28, the tree had been deliberately felled with a chainsaw in an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.' The court heard Graham and Carruthers are accused of travelling together, in Graham's Range Rover, from the Carlisle area where they lived towards Sycamore Gap before parking, walking for around 20 minutes to the tree and cutting it with a chainsaw. Mr Wright told the jury: 'Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes. 'Having completed their moronic mission, the pair got back into the Range Rover, and travelled back towards Carlisle. 'During that return journey Mr Carruthers received a video of his young child from his partner. He replied to her 'I've got a better video than that'. 'Minutes later the video of the felling of the tree was sent from Graham's phone to Carruthers' phone. 'At the time of that text conversation the only people in the world who knew that the tree had been felled were the men who had cut it down.' Jurors heard that a photo and two videos were found on Graham's phone from 2am that day showing a piece of wood next to a chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover. The court heard that at the time Graham and Carruthers were 'friends who were regularly in each other's company'. Graham lived in Carlisle and had a groundwork company called D M Graham Groundworks while Carruthers told police during an interview he worked in property maintenance and mechanics. An investigation found the technique used to cut down the tree was a recognised technique in felling, and the position of a notch made in the trunk showed whoever did it knew the tree would fall on to the wall. The trial heard data from cell sites and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras showed Graham's phone and vehicle were together, travelling towards Sycamore Gap on the night that it was felled, while CCTV footage from the Twice Brewed Inn captured vehicle headlights making a left turn towards the Steel Rigg car park, which is used by people visiting Sycamore Gap, at 11.55pm. A video recovered from Graham's iPhone was shown to the jury, with Mr Wright telling them it was 'extremely dark' but that they would hear 'the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw, and a tree falling'. The following morning, as the news broke, the defendants shared social media posts about it with each other, with Graham saying to Carruthers 'here we go'. Mr Wright said Carruthers sent Graham a Facebook post from a man called Kevin Hartness saying: 'Some weak people that walk this earth disgusting behaviour.' Two minutes later Graham replied to Carruthers with a voice note saying: 'That Kevin Hartness comment. Weak… f****** weak? Does he realise how heavy shit is?' Carruthers replied with his own voice note 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.' In one message, Graham said to Carruthers 'not a bad angle on that stump', adding: 'That's clearly a professional.' Jurors were played a voice note from Carruthers to Graham saying: 'Someone there has tagged like ITV News, BBC News, Sky News, like news, news, news. I think it's gonna go wild.' Another voice note from Graham to Carruthers at 11.17am said: 'Jeffrey (a name Carruthers uses) it's gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight.' Mr Wright told jurors: 'They are loving it, they're revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it's funny, or clever, or big.' Mr Wright said in the following days 'message after message' about the Sycamore Gap story were shared between them or screenshot and saved by Graham, showing they were 'gathering news of their infamy'. The court heard Graham and Carruthers' 'once close friendship appears to have unravelled', with each of them now apparently blaming the other. Mr Wright said: 'As we understand the defences, Graham denies that he was involved in any way. His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling. 'Carruthers on the other hand denies that he had anything at all to do with the felling of the tree and will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down.' The trial continues.
