Two Men Convicted for Cutting Down Iconic British Sycamore Gap Tree
Two men have been found guilty of cutting down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree, a nearly 200-year-old landmark whose striking silhouette against the Northumberland landscape had captured the hearts of visitors and even appeared in a Hollywood film.
The tree, located in a natural dip alongside Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, was famously featured in the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Its dramatic setting made it a popular destination for hikers, photographers, and romantics alike. Its sudden felling in September 2023 sparked nationwide grief and outrage.
On Friday, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court found Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, guilty of two counts of criminal damage. Prosecutors described their actions as a “moronic mission,” saying the men deliberately brought the tree down using a chainsaw. In doing so, they also damaged a section of Hadrian’s Wall, a 2,000-year-old Roman structure and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Despite initially denying involvement, the pair were undone by video footage found on Graham’s phone showing the act in progress, and by messages where they appeared to gloat over the global attention the incident had attracted. Prosecutors revealed that the men even took a wedge of the tree as a souvenir, though no motive has ever been explained.
Graham and Carruthers, both from the Carlisle area about 25 miles from the site in Northumberland National Park, are due to be sentenced on July 15.
“For over a century, Sycamore Gap has been an iconic natural landmark in the northeast of England, bringing immeasurable joy to those visiting the area,” said Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist. “In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.”
In a glimmer of hope, the National Trust, which manages the site, said last year that new growth had been spotted at the base of the felled tree, offering the possibility that the Sycamore Gap might one day live on.
