Two men behind ‘senseless' felling of Sycamore Gap tree jailed for four years
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were each given prison sentences of four years and three months for an act of criminal damage that caused the Sycamore Gap tree to crash down on to Hadrian's wall in Northumberland on a stormy September night in 2023.
The attack, using a chainsaw in the middle of the night, was met with sadness, disbelief and anger that rippled around the world.
The sycamore was probably planted in the late 19th century and in recent decades the site was known as a beauty spot where people went to picnic, celebrate birthdays, propose marriage, spread ashes or just take photos.
Graham, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, from Wigton, were found guilty in May of the criminal damage of the tree and the wall beside it, a Unesco world heritage site.
They had denied criminal damage even though there was evidence that Graham's car had been used to drive to the beauty spot with a chainsaw in the boot.
During an eight-day trial at Newcastle crown court, the jury watched footage from Graham's phone of the tree being felled and heard messages between the pair that the prosecution said showed them revelling in the infamy.
The prosecutor, Richard Wright KC, said during the trial that the crime was a 'moronic mission' and the 'arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery', and that the two men showed a 'basic lack of decency and courage to own up to what they did'.
He said: 'Up and down the country and across the world, the reaction of all right-thinking people to the senseless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree has been one of sadness and anger. Who would do such a thing? Why would anyone do such a thing? Take something beautiful and destroy it for no good reason.'
Wright said the 'public indignation, anger and downright disgust' at the felling had been palpable. 'Far from being the big men they thought they were, everyone else thought that they were rather pathetic.'
More details soon …
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Children at risk of being recruited by hostile states, police warn
Counter-terror police have warned the activity of hostile states on British soil is posing a growing threat and urged families to watch for signs their children are being along with petty criminals and disillusioned people, may be more vulnerable to recruitment by Russia, Iran and China, they states are increasingly using proxies to carry out acts of sabotage and targeted violence in the UK, counter-terror police said, adding that investigating such activity now accounts for about 20% of their and teachers should "be inquisitive" and "seek help" if they think a child is at risk, police advised. Since the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 – which targeted Russian double agent Sergei Skripal – there has been a five-fold increase in police work to tackle hostile activity, commanders said."The breadth, complexity and volume of these operations has continued to grow at a rate that I'm not sure that us, or our partners internationally, or any intelligence community predicted," Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Command, told reporters."We are increasingly seeing these three states, but not just these three states, undertaking threat to life operations in the United Kingdom."The youngest person arrested or investigated on suspicion of involvement is aged in their "mid-teens", he Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing's senior national co-ordinator, expressed concern other children may be encouraged online to carry out activities to earn money, without realising the implications of their actions."We really encourage people, parents, teachers, professionals just to be inquisitive," she said."If they're concerned, ask those questions, and if they think there's something they need to be concerned about, seek help and act, because we want to make sure that we're protecting people from inadvertently being drawn into this sort of activity."The Metropolitan Police is now putting additional resources into tackling hostile state activity, with training for officers in "foreign interference" and hundreds taking part in recent exercises in how to respond."We're working with local force chiefs up and down the country to raise awareness and ensure that there really is an increased understanding about this threat," Ms Evans this month, two low-level criminals were among five people convicted of involvement in an arson attack on a warehouse storing communications equipment for said the attack had been ordered by Russia's Wagner group, and that one of the ringleaders, 21-year-old Dylan Earl, had been plotting to kidnap its owner, a Russian dissident. The Met said it was also dealing with a "high volume" of threats from Iran, focused on those considered to be opponents of the Islamic Republic."We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that," Mr Murphy use of criminal proxies offers "arms-length deniability," according to Ms Evans, who blames the rising threat on the "continued erosion of the rule-based international order".The warnings came in the first specific briefing for journalists from counter-terrorism police on the threat of hostile state activity."Foreign regimes are more willing than ever to undertake aggressive actions overseas," Ms Evans said.
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
British children recruited by Russia and Iran to spy against their own country and research potential targets
BRITISH children are being recruited by Russia and Iran to spy against their own country, it was revealed today. The kid spooks are said to be carrying out research and conducting reconnaissance on potential targets after being recruited online by the two hostile states. 2 Several schoolchildren, in their mid-teens, have been arrested for allegedly gathering intelligence to be used against the UK, it emerged. And more children of the same age are being investigated for clandestine activities on behalf of the hostile states. They are being recruited through online forums and then lured into working for anonymous Russian and Iranian spymasters offering financial inducements. The UK's Counter Terrorism Policing Senior Coordinator Vicki Evans said: 'Children and young people are vulnerable to this type of hostile activity,' adding; "It is a huge concern for us.' Met deputy assistant commissioner Ms Evans urged parents and carers to be 'vigilant and careful.' Ms Evans revealed how the threat from hostile states to the UK is now five times greater than at the time of Russia's 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury. The threat from Russia, China and Iran accounts for more than a fifth of the counter terror policing network's caseload in the UK, she said. Criminals are increasingly being used by hostile states to spy against Britain by proxy after being recruited online and promised cash which rarely materialises. Ms Evans said the use of low level criminals was 'an increasing theme' on how hostile states are working, adding the proxies and assets were 'quite disposable' once they had served their use. The C-T policing boss said international frictions and the two wars in Ukraine and the Middle East were fuelling aggressive intelligence operations in the UK and elsewhere. Is THIS the US missile that will force Putin to make peace? JASSM cruise missile could obliterate 30 key Russian bases They include arson attacks, assassinations plots and threats to journalists. Five men are facing long sentences over an arson attack on an East London warehouse storing satellite equipment for Ukraine which was ordered by the Russian Wagner group. And six Bulgarians were jailed for a total of more than 50 years at the Old Bailey in May this year for spying for Putin. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's SO15 counter-terrorism command, said he was surprised 'by the breadth and complexity of these operations…' Cdr Murphy added: 'We are increasingly seeing threats to life and our way of life.' He urged any criminals approached by spymasters online to get in touch with police.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Official who caused disastrous data breach still employed by government
A Ministry of Defence official inadvertently leaked a spreadsheet in February 2022 containing sensitive data of up to 100,000 Afghans seeking sanctuary in the UK. The data breach, which included names, contact details, and case statuses of applicants to the Afghan resettlement scheme, put thousands of lives at risk from the Taliban. Despite the catastrophic nature of the leak, the official responsible has not been fired and remains employed by the government, though not in the same role. An unprecedented superinjunction, lasting almost two years, was imposed in September 2023 to prevent news of the leak from being published, which has now been lifted. The incident prompted the secret evacuation of thousands of Afghans to Britain under a new resettlement scheme, with calls for an in-depth inquiry into the matter.
