Mr. Daniel Graham, Mr. Adam Carruthers,
I passed the same sentence in respect of you.
Two men who chopped down Britain's iconic Sycamore Gap tree
were both sentenced to jail for more than 4 years
on Tuesday. The much loved landmark was estimated to
be over 200 years old before it was cut down
by the pair in September 2023. 39 year old
Daniel Graham and 32-year-old Adam Carruthers were found guilty last
month of deliberately taking a chainsaw to the tree in
the middle of the night. Prosecutors say this video
shows the act, which they described as a moronic
mission of sheer bravado. Authorities also say the pair
filmed the crime on Graham's phone and bragged about it
. Later their friendship soured as public anger grew over
their actions. Both men initially denied cutting the tree
down. They later confessed to probation officers with Carruther's
lawyer calling it drunken stupidity. However, Judge Christina
Lambert rejected an account from Carruthers of significant drunkenness.
Mr. Carruthers, your account that you had had
so much to drink that you had no memory of
what you did that night is not plausible. The
tree felling demonstrated skill. It required deliberate and coordinated
actions by you. As Mr. Graham commented the
next day, having seen a photograph of the stump
, you didn't get a bad angle on the stump
, and the job seemed professional. The dramatic silhouette
of the sycamore Gap tree featured in the 1991 movie
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. It stood in a
deep valley next to Hadrian's wall, a 2000 year
old Roman ruin. And was a popular spot for
photos, hiking, and marriage proposals. Cutting it
down also damaged part of the wall, a UNESCO
World Heritage site. There may yet be hope,
however, Britain's National Trust charity, which manages the
site, said last year it had found new growth
in the tree's remaining stump.