The moment the 150-year-old Sycamore Gap tree was chainsawed down
The black-and-white video of the majestic tree's final two minutes and 41 seconds was introduced into evidence in the UK's Newcastle Crown Court during the trial of two men charged with criminal damage for cutting the tree down and toppling it onto the ancient Hadrian's Wall.
It offered a rare glimpse of a crime allegedly caught in action by an accomplice, as the culprit cut into the beloved tree's trunk on September 28, 2023.
An excerpt of the final 24 seconds of the mobile phone video released by the Crown Prosecution Service on Wednesday, Newcastle time, showed a solitary figure silhouetted beneath the towering canopy. The shaky footage shows the person in a struggle with the old tree, leaning into the task as the saw whines and the wind crackles.
Then, with a single snap, the chainsaw comes to a halt, and the person steps back as the tree begins its fall. The sycamore that had stood for about 150 years takes little more than five seconds to crash to the ground.
The video was found on a phone in one of Daniel Graham's jacket pockets, according to testimony by police intelligence analyst Amy Sutherland. Metadata put the location of the footage at Sycamore Gap.
Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, have pleaded not guilty to two counts each of criminal damage. Prosecutors said the value of the tree exceeded £620,000 ($1.29 million) and damage to the wall – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – was assessed at £1100 ($2300).
Prosecutor Richard Wright told the court that Graham, who had a small construction business, denied being involved and said his phone and vehicle were used without his knowledge.
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