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Historic Sycamore Gap Vandals Jailed For Four Years
Sycamore Gap Vandals Boasted About Felling Tree in Texts, Court Hears
Men Accused of Felling Historic Sycamore Gap Tree Filmed Moronic Mission on a Phone, Jury Told 5 News UK https://e3.365dm.com/23/09/2048x1152...20230928121535 Friends filmed themselves chopping down landmark and took wedge of tree as trophy https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/...eg?imwidth=640 Adam Carruthers, left, and Daniel Graham appeared in court on Tuesday The men accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree boasted about chopping it down in texts and voice notes, a court has heard. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are accused of using a chainsaw to expertly chop down the century old tree, causing irreparable damage in a matter of minutes on Sept 27 2023. It is alleged that the sycamore, which had featured in Hollywood films and was held in huge public affection, fell onto a section of Hadrians Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Northumberland, causing further damage. The pair filmed the act of mindless criminal damage on a mobile phone and took a piece of the tree with them as a trophy, jurors were told. Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers, both accused of causing criminal damage without lawful excuse to the tree and to Hadrians Wall, have gone on trial at Newcastle Crown Court. Mr Wright KC said at 10am on Sept 27, Mr Graham said to Mr Carruthers: 'Big storm tonight we might get onto storm damage get saws warmed up' Mr Wright said the defendants would sometimes work together and had experience of cutting down large trees together, with one video recovered from Mr Grahams phone showing them felling a large tree just over a month before the Sycamore Gap tree was cut down. The court heard police found a chainsaw blade and cover at Mr Grahams property when he was arrested on Oct 31 2023, and a chainsaw at Mr Carruthers? property on Nov 3 that year. Took wedge of tree as some sort of trophy Mr Wright told jurors: We do not and cannot say that the chainsaws recovered by the police were the actual saws used in the felling of the Sycamore tree. Both defendants deny the criminal damage charges and the trial continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM_0N4rMyXw&t=5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WjgkcsBc0I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LlhvBXI3rA |
Historic Sycamore Gap Vandals Jailed For Four Years
Sycamore Gap Vandals Jailed For Four Years
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers become first people to receive custodial sentence for felling a single tree Telegraph BBC 15 JUL 2025 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/...eg?imwidth=640 Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers jailed for felling irreplaceable sycamore.. have been jailed for four years. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standar...386fb20a25.jpg Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of causing criminal damage to the 150 year old tree and Hadrians Wall. One of their lawyers said the motive was nothing more than drunken stupidity, while the National Trust, which owned the more than 100 year old tree, said it had belonged to the people. Graham and Carruthers, both from Cumbria, had denied their involvement but were each found guilty of two counts of criminal damage. The pair, whose friendship imploded in the aftermath as the public revulsion became clear to them, drove under the cover of darkness and used the winds of Storm Agnes to help them topple the tree on to the Unesco World Heritage site wall, the court heard. The value of the tree was disputed with prosecutors saying it was worth about GB458,000 and Grahams team claiming it to be about GB150,000, but Mrs Justice Lambert said the exact financial price did not really matter. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05...4849362125.jpg Mrs Justice Lambert The judge said the tree was a landmark of Northumberland and symbol of the untamed beauty of the landscape around Hadrians Wall. It was a place of peace and tranquillity which people returned to year after year, the judge said, adding it held great personal significance to many. Mrs Justice Lambert said a full motive was not clear, adding the action of felling the tree and the outrage it caused gave the men some sort of thrill She also rejected Carruthers claim that he was drunk as the mission required skill and coordination as well as a high degree of planning by the two experienced tree surgeons https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standar...0df3eb1b95.jpg The tree, which was popular to photograph, had been planted in the 1800s to be a feature on the landscape |
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