Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers have been sentenced to four years and three months for cutting down the historical landmark
Daniel Daniel Graham, 39, (left) and Adam Carruthers, 32, have been sentenced to four years and three months for cutting down the historical landmark(Image: Northumbria Police/PA Wire)
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, who felled the tree at Sycamore Gap in Northumberland have each been jailed for four years and three months at Newcastle Crown Court after they were convicted of two counts of criminal damage.
The two men were found guilty of completing the “moronic mission” of chopping down the tree with a chainsaw in May at Newcastle Crown Court, after the original act was committed in September 2023. Both were convicted of two counts of criminal damage to the Sycamore Gap tree and Hadrian’s Wall.
Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers even took a video of the destruction which was carried out, the court heard in May, with the two also taking a wedge of the tree home with them as a “trophy.”
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At the time the “odd couple” were convicted, they both denied causing £622,191 worth of criminal damage to the tree, and £1,144 of damage to Hadrian’s Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Mrs Justice Lambert has since issued her verdict on the matter today, with the judge discussing the case prior to the sentencing.
She described how the men were “experienced tree surgeons,” describing the events which lead up to the felling of the tree and the damage to Hadrian’s Wall – which all took place between two and a half and three minutes, during the night.
The judge added how she believed the men “revelled in their notoriety” in the aftermath of the incident, with Mrs Justice Lambert referencing the pair’s alleged decision to share screenshots of the damage done to the tree on social media.
She continued, expressing how it was “fortunate more damage was not caused” to Hadrian’s Wall, after the tree was felled.
Mrs Justice Lambert went on to say how she did not “accept” the excuses provided by the two men, adding how she believes she is sure the felling had a “high degree of planning and preparation.”
She added she believed she was satisfied the men had intended to destroy the “landmark.”
The judge said she cannot be sure what the motive is, but that “bravado” and “thrill seeking” were an element of it.
She said she did not accept the excuse from Mr Carruthers that he was drunk, explaining that the operation needed skill and co-ordination.
Mrs Justice Lambert went on to add: “Although there may be grains of truth, I do not accept they are wholly honest or the whole story,” the judge says.
“I’m confident a major factor was sheer bravado,” she said, adding that cutting down the tree and the outrage it caused gave the men “some sort of thrill.”
Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers have been sentenced to four years and three months in jail at Newcastle Crown Court after they were convicted of two counts of criminal damage, for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree.
She said the minimum the two would serve in prison for this would be 40 per cent of the sentence.
During the sentencing today, National Trust general manager, Andrew Poad, said the “iconic tree” could “never be replaced,” adding the reason for the “beautiful tree being felled” was “beyond comprehension”
He also said it was the “mindless destruction” now dominated the National Trust work in the area, explaining how he believed the removal of the tree and the repairs cost just over £30,000 with a further £20,000 allocated to ongoing work, Mr Poad added, the BBC reported
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Prosecutor Richard Wright KC also spoke out today, claiming the damage carried out had caused a “serious economical and societal impact.”
The prosecutor went on to tell the court both men carried out the offence together, stating: “These are joint offences committed jointly throughout,” adding that it is “difficult to see any distinction between the defendants.”
Christopher Knox, the barrister for Daniel Graham, followed on from the prosecution, stating he understood and accepted the seriousness of the crimes set out.
Mr Knox alleged his client, Mr Graham, was a “very troubled” man who had made a “serious attempt on his own life,” back in December, resulting in him being hospitalised.
It was said he was then remanded into prison from December 21 of last year, ahead of the trial for his own safety. He added the defendant had been receiving ‘hate mail’ since the incident, with his caravan in Carlisle reportedly having its windows smashed in.
Andrew Gurney, the representative of Mr Carruthers, addressed the question many had about why the tree was cut down in the first place.
Speaking to the court, he said: “Unfortunately it is no more than drunken stupidity,” adding the defendant had told his probation officers about his guilt in a bid to “cleanse the burden on his conscience.”
He went on to say Mr Carruthers did not believe his “ignorant and stupid act” would create as much as an impact as it did.
Mr Gurney said the 32-year-old would have to “bear the burden of what he has done for the rest of his life” and would “forever be linked to this act,” adding he would have to carry it as “some form of personal penance.”
In May, during the last hearing, Prosecutor Richard Wright KC described the “irreparable damage” done to the famous landmark.
He said: “Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes.”
Talking to the court, he added: “Two men are responsible for that mindless vandalism, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers.
“They travelled together, in Graham’s Range Rover, from the Carlisle area where they lived towards Sycamore Gap.
“They parked, walked to the tree, and then used a chainsaw to deliberately fell it.”
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Mr Wright continued: “First, they marked the intended cut with silver spray paint, before then cutting out a wedge that would dictate the direction in which the tree would fall.
“One of the men then cut across the trunk, causing the Sycamore to fall, hitting the wall. Whilst he did that, the other filmed the act on Graham’s mobile telephone.”
