09-05-2025
EXCLUSIVE Sycamore Gap Trial: Lawyer compares felling of famous tree to 'murder' and hopes punishing of vandals will 'set a new tone' for cases involving the destruction of the natural world
A lawyer specialising in the protection of historic trees has compared the cutting down of Britain's beloved Sycamore Gap to murder and expressed hopes the case will 'set a new tone' for cases involving the destruction of the natural world.
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'The Trial of the Sycamore Gap' series, award-winning crime reporters Liz Hull and George Odling as well as tree lawyer Sarah Dodd, reacted to the news that Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, had been found guilty of cutting down the famous tree next to Hadrian's Wall.
The pair, both from Cumbria, drove for 30 miles through a storm, then filmed themselves cutting down the iconic landmark in the early hours of September 28, 2023.
They face up to ten years in prison, having been found guilty of causing £622,191 of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 of damage to Hadrian's Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site. The verdicts were delivered after only five hours of deliberations.
Asked by Mr. Odling whether justice could ever feel as though it had been done after the destruction of a 150-year-old tree, Ms. Dodd, who set up a law firm which works to protect historic trees, said no reasonable jail sentence could account for its loss.
'It feels something like a murder', Ms Dodd told the podcast.
'Thankfully, in this case, the stump is resprouting slightly, and I know cuttings have been taken away that I am sure are being regrown. So, in terms of the Sycamore Gap tree, its legacy will live on.
'It certainly won't grow back to the specimen it was in our lifetimes. The positive I take from it all is, this landmark case will hopefully set a new tone for how courts deal with cases involving trees like this. This has established the felling of trees as a crime the courts take seriously.
'What this shows is that those cases where planning issues crop up, where there is damage to a protected tree for any other reason – it sets a tone and allows the courts to feel comfortable in imposing harsher punishments.
Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear exclusive coverage of the Sycamore Gap trial on The Trial+ Join here
'This guilty verdict is part of the puzzle in increasing the severity of sentencing and fines and by doing that, increasing the protection to trees.'
Ms Dodd, who works in the valuing of trees for cases such as the trial of the Sycamore Gap, hinted at how prosecutors may have come to the figure of £622,191 worth of criminal damage.
'In the UK, we have a couple of tree valuing systems', Ms Dodd explained.
'The system that was used in this case is called CAVAT – the capital asset value system. They review the tree and put in certain calculations, and come out with a value figure.
'This figure reflects the amenity value of the tree. Stuff like size and circumference are considered, as well as how many people see the tree and enjoy it.'
To hear the Mail's award-winning coverage of the Sycamore Gap trial, as the case unfolds, subscribe to The Crime Desk today.
Become a member by clicking here, for ad-free access to every show across The Crime Desk network — including over 200 episodes of The Trial and On The Case and so much more.
