Sycamore Gap: 2 convicted for felling UK's iconic tree

Two men were found guilty on Friday of cutting down one of the United Kingdom's most iconic trees.

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty by a Newcastle Crown Court jury of felling the Sycamore Gap tree, which had stood next to Hadrian's Wall in northeast England for around 200 years.

Chief prosecutor Gale Gilchrist said the Sycamore Gap had been "an iconic natural landmark" that had brought "immeasurable joy" to visitors and locals.

In a statement after the verdict was delivered, Gilchrist said, "In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction."

What was the court told?

The defendants, who were once close friends, both claimed that they had had nothing to do with the incident, while Graham accused Carruthers of felling the tree.

The jury deliberated for nearly five hours before finding the pair guilty on two counts of criminal damage — one for the sycamore tree, and one for the Roman wall, which was damaged when the tree fell onto it.

The court was told how the two men — who showed no visible reaction when the verdicts were read out — used a chainsaw to cut the tree down.

They filmed the act on Graham's phone and shared the footage, which was also played to the court.

'Moronic mission'

Prosecutor Richard Wright said the pair had driven to the site near Hexham, in Northumberland county on the border with Scotland, on September 27, 2023, cutting down the popular tree in "a matter of minutes" and returning to their home town of Carlisle after completing "their moronic mission."

Wright also told the jury how the pair had exchanged voice and text messages the following day in which they "revelled" in watching the reaction unfold around the world.

No motive for the crime other than "senseless vandalism" was provided.

In his closing remarks, prosecutor Wright suggested that the pair had cut the sycamore down "for a bit of a laugh," but that they had failed to appreciate the widespread outrage their actions would cause.

"They woke up the morning after and soon realized — as the news media rolled in, as the outrage of the public became clear — it must have dawned on them that they couldn't see anyone else smiling," Wright said.

"Far from being the big men they thought they were, everyone else thought that they were rather pathetic," the prosecutor added.

Judge Christina Lambert ordered the pair held in custody until sentencing on July 15. She said they could face "a lengthy period in custody."

The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years in prison.

Why was the tree so beloved?

Generations of followers had prized the tree for its picturesque setting, planted symmetrically between two hills next to the wall built under Emperor Hadrian in 122 CE to protect the Roman Empire's northern frontier.

The tree, which was highly popular among photographers, hikers and locals, gained even more widespread fame after it was featured in the 1991 movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" starring Kevin Costner.