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In an act of “sheer bravado,” two men from Cumbria, Daniel Michael Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, have been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for criminally damaging the “irreplaceable” Sycamore Gap tree near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. Despite denying their involvement during the trial, both men have since admitted to their actions of illegally felling the landmark tree, an act caught on film by the duo using a chainsaw.
During their sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court, Mrs. Justice Lambert dismissed the men’s claim of “drunken stupidity” and stated that despite an unclear motive, the act of cutting down the tree seemed to provide them with some form of thrill. The National Trust, the owner of the more than 100-year-old tree, expressed that the loss of the landmark was a devastating blow as it could never be replaced.
On the early hours of September 28, 2023, Graham and Carruthers drove to the site under the cover of darkness, taking advantage of the winds from Storm Agnes to help topple the tree onto the UNESCO World Heritage Site wall. The financial value of the tree was disputed in court, with estimates ranging from £150,000 to £458,000, but Mrs. Justice Lambert emphasized that the exact monetary worth was not the essential point in this case.
The Sycamore Gap tree, planted in the late 1800s and made famous by its appearance in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” had become a cherished landmark at Hadrian’s Wall. According to the judge, the tree represented the untamed beauty of Northumberland’s landscape and held significant personal meaning to many individuals who frequented the area. Carruthers marked and cut the tree while Graham filmed the process, with the judge attributing their actions to a sense of bravado and a desire for a thrill
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