Former lumberjack falsely accused of being the Sycamore Gap feller had to wear 'Rod Stewart' wig to avoid abuse after trolls targeted him
Walter Renwick was arrested the day after the famous tree, which stood in a valley along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland National Park for around 150 years, was illegally chopped down in September 2023.
Officers searched the ex lumberjack's home and removed a chainsaw from his property after he was accused by online sleuths.
Following his arrest, he became scared to leave the house as people would accuse him of felling the tree when they saw him in public.
'It was heartbreaking. There were police everywhere, drones flying around the valley, divers in the lake, they were 100 per cent certain I'd done it,' he told the BBC.
Eventually, Mr Renwick resorted to wearing a disguise to stop so many people recognising him.
'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. I know it was daft but I put a Rod Stewart wig on so people didn't spot me,' he said.
To make matters worse, Mr Renwick had recently been evicted from Plankey Mill Farm, near Bardon Mill, meaning he was also dealing with the loss of his home.
In December 2023, Northumbria Police let Mr Renwick, as well as a 16-year-old who had also been accused, go following a stressful and public process.
The force said it had carried out a 'meticulous and proportionate investigation' and recognised the 'strength of feeling' caused by the felling of the iconic tree.
Police arrested Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, over the crime.
The pair were both convicted of two counts of criminal damage and sentenced to 10 years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court in May this year.
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