Sycamore Gap: Two men fell famous tree in the UK

Sycamore Gap: Two men fell famous tree in the UK

In a remarkable case of vandalism, two men in northern England were convicted of the intentional felling of a famous plane tree. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were found in two charges of punishable damage that related to both the tree and the Hadrian wall, which the tree fell on. The judgment was made by a court in Newcastle and the judgment was pronounced on July 15th.

The historical context of the tree

The tree had stood as a guardian to Hadrian's wall for over 200 years, a wall built by the Romans in Great Britain, until it was deliberately felled in September 2023 - an act that the authorities called "vandalism". The plane tree, which is in the Northumberland National Park, became world famous through his appearance in the blockbuster film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner from 1991.

Details of the procedure

The tree, which is located in a place called "Sycamore Gap", was directly due to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hadrian Mauer, which was built around 1,900 years ago, to secure the extreme northwestern border of the Roman Empire. During the trial, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said that the felling was an act of "senseless vandalism". He described how the two men drove 30 miles (48 kilometers) at night to reach the tree before one felled it while the other filmed it.

damage and consequences

The jurors found that Graham and Carruthers had caused a damage of £ 62,191 (approx. 826,000 USD) on the tree and £ 1.144 (approx. $ 1,500) on the Hadrian wall. Witnesses reported that the two men sometimes worked and had experience in the cases of large trees. Originally they were "best friends", but according to the court, their relationship has deteriorated and their friendship had "broken".

statements and future of the case