Two individuals, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, were implicated in a case involving alleged homophobic assaults prior to their conviction for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree. The men, hailing from Carlisle and Wigton respectively, were found guilty of felling the iconic tree at Hadrian’s Wall on 27 September 2023. Coincidentally, just nine days earlier, a man reported an incident where he was targeted with verbal abuse and doused in icing sugar by two individuals at a layby in Cumbria known for encounters among men.
The police investigation into the homophobic assaults led to Graham and Carruthers as suspects, with authorities preparing a file for prosecutors. One victim of the assaults recounted being approached by individuals in a black jeep who subjected him to homophobic behavior, including throwing icing sugar into his vehicle before leaving. The victim reported the incident to the police but was unable to identify the perpetrators, despite providing a description of the vehicle and its registration number. The lack of action taken at the time left the victim feeling disregarded.
Despite efforts by the victim to assist in identifying the suspects through video evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately decided against pressing charges. This decision was based on insufficient evidence, difficulties in identification, and the passage of time since the incidents occurred. The victim, disappointed with the outcome, resorted to challenging the ruling, leading to the disclosure of the names of Graham and Carruthers as the suspects in the case. The CPS maintained its stance on prosecuting hate crimes and urged victims to report incidents to the authorities.
Following their involvement in the tree-cutting incident, Graham and Carruthers are currently in custody awaiting sentencing. Despite being approached for comment on the previous allegations, they have remained silent. The victims of the alleged homophobic assaults turned to the legal system in an attempt to seek justice, highlighting the importance of addressing hate crimes and the challenges faced in bringing perpetrators to account
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