### Sycamore Gap Tree Felling: Court Hears Details of “Deliberate and Mindless” Act
The trial of two men accused of causing irreparable damage to the celebrated Sycamore Gap tree—a landmark immortalised in art, film, and countless photographs—opened on Tuesday at Newcastle Crown Court. The prosecution alleges that the tree, which had stood sentinel next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland for over a century, was felled “in a matter of minutes” in a planned act of vandalism, with a wedge of its trunk allegedly taken as a “trophy”.
Prosecuting counsel Richard Wright KC told jurors that the pair, Daniel Graham, 39, of Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Wigton, both from Cumbria, were responsible for what he described as a “moronic mission”. The men face two charges each of criminal damage—one relating to the loss of the tree itself and the second for damage inflicted upon the ancient Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wright outlined how, on the night of 27 September 2023, Graham and Carruthers travelled together to the isolated beauty spot in Graham’s Range Rover. After parking, they approached the site and used a chainsaw to cut down the iconic tree. Their actions reportedly included marking the trunk with silver spray paint and employing a professional felling technique: cutting a wedge from the tree to determine its fall. The prosecution argues that such precision indicates not only knowledge of tree-felling methods, but also awareness of the potential risks to the historic wall.
It was alleged that the felling caused the sycamore to crash onto Hadrian’s Wall, compounding the loss through additional damage to the Roman structure. According to Mr Wright, one man wielded the chainsaw while the other filmed the act on a mobile phone. “The tree, which had graced the landscape for over a hundred years, was destroyed in minutes,” he told the court.
Evidence presented to the jury reportedly includes a video, filmed at the scene, which was subsequently sent between the two men during their return to Carlisle. Messages shared in the aftermath were said to reveal their apparent pride in the act, with Carruthers boasting of an “operation like we did last night” and referencing online reaction to the felling with bravado. Extracts of their private exchanges were read in court, including jokes at the expense of social media users angered by the loss of the tree.
The case took a further turn with claims that a wedge, cut from the tree as part of the felling process, was photographed in the boot of Graham’s Range Rover alongside the chainsaw. Forensic experts confirmed a high likelihood that this piece was indeed from the Sycamore Gap tree, bolstering the prosecution’s assertion that it was kept as a physical memento.
Members of the public and the first police officers on the scene, arriving the following morning, discovered the iconic tree lying across Hadrian’s Wall. Silver spray markings and the absence of the cut wedge were among the first clues pieced together by investigators. The court heard expert testimony that the method used to topple the tree displayed a degree of skill, lending weight to claims of deliberate intent rather than accident or impulse.
Both defendants have denied any wrongdoing, pleading not guilty to all charges. The Sycamore Gap tree, sometimes dubbed “the most photographed in England”, had become a symbol not only of local heritage but of the broader landscape. The felling provoked widespread outrage and international headlines, as conservationists, locals, and visitors mourned the destruction of an irreplaceable part of the national landscape.
The trial continues, with the prosecution expected to present further evidence in the coming days, as the court considers whether the men’s actions constitute calculated criminal damage or, as their defence may argue, something less premeditated. The fate of the pair—and the full story behind the notorious loss—now rests with the jury.