The people wrongly accused of cutting the Sycamore Gap tree down

BBC News

2 days ago

Within hours of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree being illegally felled, Walter Renwick found himself in a maelstrom of accusations and abuse.Online amateur sleuths, who had taken it upon themselves to investigate, thought that in the former lumberjack they had found their man.He had the skills, a chainsaw and an apparent motive, but there was one flaw in the theories.It was not him.
Photographs quickly appeared in a national newspaper showing police searching Mr Renwick's Northumberland home and a chainsaw being removed. "It was heartbreaking," Mr Renwick said."There were police everywhere, drones flying around the valley, divers in the lake, they were 100% certain I'd done it. "Every time I went shopping in Haltwhistle or Hexham, people were nudging each other and saying 'that's him that cut the tree down', stuff like that."Mr Renwick even wore a disguise to hide his identity."I know it was daft but I put a Rod Stewart wig on so people didn't spot me."
Months earlier he had been evicted from Plankey Mill Farm near Bardon Mill, just a few miles from Hadrian's Wall, by landowners Jesuits in Britain. His family had been there for decades, but the tenancy held by his grandfather and father had not passed to him."I'd just lost everything I had, my cows, my sheep, my parents' stuff. I'd lost my home and then this," Mr Renwick said of the Sycamore Gap accusations.Jesuits in Britain said they made the "difficult decision" to evict Mr Renwick in 2021 after "many attempts to engage with him".They cited "serious breaches of his tenancy, including unauthorised camping on the land, damage to the farmhouse and repeated refusal to allow inspections".Mr Renwick admits he had been running a campsite and there had been concerns about anti-social behaviour there and elsewhere on his land. One of the complaints, he alleges, was from the National Trust which owns a neighbouring property and the land at Sycamore Gap.The National Trust said it would be "inappropriate to discuss our complaints procedure in relation to any individual".
Freelance journalist Kevin Donald was one of those deployed to try and find out who had been arrested in the days immediately following the felling. "It's a bit tenuous, but there was a sort of motive there," he said. "Suddenly everything was pointing to Walter Renwick who then became a massive target for online trolling."
Walter Renwick was arrested on 29 September 2023, the day after the felling, but hours earlier another person had also been taken into custody. Journalist Mr Donald said neighbours in Haltwhistle described seeing "a large police presence" and a teenager being put into a car "with blue lights flashing"."At first local people seemed reluctant to name him. They seemed to want to protect him," Mr Donald said.Northumbria Police then announced they had arrested a 16-year-old boy, who we are not naming at his request.But while being questioned, his name and photograph were posted on social media."The picture showed him with a chainsaw and he was in what you'd call lumberjack gear," Mr Donald said. "It suddenly went from 'a kid couldn't do this' to 'maybe that kid could'."
Those in the boy's home town remember a time of febrile speculation. Bed and breakfast owner Ed Corble called it "absolute chaos". "His family had no idea why it was happening and for a 16-year-old to have the eyes of the world on him like that was so dangerous."Scott Donaldson, owner of the nearby Milecastle Inn, said many people had concerns about the arrest. "We had family members in the tree surgery business and they just thought there was no way a 16-year-old could have done it," he said. "There was a lot of discussion in the pub and we quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way that young lad was involved."
That, however, did not stop trolls sending the teenager disturbing abuse online about the recent death of a relative."You've immediately got this trial by social media going on," Mr Donald said."It was all over the place that they'd arrested Walter and his grandson, but it turned out they didn't even know each other."In November, the police said the teenager would face no further action. A month later the same announcement was made about Mr Renwick. By that time Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, had been arrested.
We asked Northumbria Police what prompted the arrests of Mr Renwick and the teenager and why it had taken the force several weeks to conclude no further action would be taken against them.In a statement the force said it recognised the "strength of feeling that the felling has caused" and that it had carried out a "a meticulous and proportionate investigation".It added "the unwavering commitment" of those involved in the case had led to a successful prosecution. On 9 May, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court unanimously convicted Graham and Carruthers of two counts of criminal damage."I just keep asking myself why they did it," Mr Renwick said."Was it just attention seeking? I don't know what it was but, for me at least, it's over. "Actually, you know, the tree, that was one thing. But losing my farm. That was the thing that hurt most of all."Jesuits in Britain said Mr Renwick's father "gave up" the tenancy in 2008 and Mr Renwick did not meet the legal criteria to succeed his dad, but he was offered a 10-year lease which was extended twice, "well beyond any legal obligation on our part".A spokeswoman said Mr Renwick was "fully aware" of the process and options available and he was given "multiple opportunities to discuss alternative arrangements"."Throughout we have sought to act with kindness and integrity," the charity said, adding: "We sincerely wish him well as he moves forward."
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