2 men convicted of cutting down beloved Sycamore Gap tree in ‘mindless’ destruction

When the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was cut down in September 2023, it triggered an outpouring of grief and outrage.

Believed to be about 200 years old, the stately tree rose out of a dip in the craggy landscape of Northumberland, England. For decades, visitors used it as a quietly dramatic backdrop for picnics, vacation photos and wedding proposals.

But that history came to an abrupt end on the morning of Sept. 28, 2023, when the well-loved tree was found on its side, sliced by a chainsaw.

Now, two English men have been convicted for the crime.

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were each convicted on Friday of two charges of criminal damage, related to the brazen act of vandalism in northern England. Both men were found to have damaged the tree that was owned by the National Trust, along with damaging the nearby historic Hadrian’s Wall, which was hit by the large tree’s trunk when it fell.

Graham and Carruthers were found guilty in Newcastle Crown Court. They are currently slated to be sentenced on July 15, the court said in a note to NPR.

During the trial, the Crown Prosecution Service said the men recorded a video of them cutting the tree down. Prosecutors say the pair relished the anguish they caused.

In response to the conviction, the National Trust thanked prosecutors and the Northumbria Police for resolving the case.

“The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage,” a National Trust spokesperson said in a statement sent to NPR.

“It was felt particularly deeply here in the north east of England where the tree was an emblem of the region and the backdrop to many personal memories.”

Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist of CPS North East said in a statement: “In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.”

“As news of their crime spread the following day, the pair exchanged messages, revelling in the public outcry they had caused,” Gilchrist added.

The Sycamore Gap tree grew in a gully near Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that once marked the frontier of the Roman Empire. Over decades, the tree became a beloved icon, featured on postcards and in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

For the tree’s admirers, a bit of relief came last summer when the same ranger who had initially discovered the fallen sycamore reported seeing new shoots of growth along its stump, fueling hopes that the tree might regenerate itself.

The National Trust and Northumberland National Park Authority also worked to sprout seeds and nurture cuttings from the famous tree.

Police have previously said that two other people who were initially questioned in the weeks after the tree was cut down — a 16-year-old boy and a 60-year-old man — face no further action in the case.