Man accused of chopping down historic Sycamore Gap tree denies fees

The two men accused of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree could be jailed for more than four years if convicted after the famous landmark was valued at £622,000, a court heard.

Daniel Graham, 38, pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage to the tree and Hadrian’s Wall in September last year.

His co-defendant Adam Carruthers, 31, entered no pleas to the same charges when they both appeared before a district judge at Newcastle Magistrates Court.

The case was sent to Newcastle Crown Court after District Judge Zoe Passfield accepted it was too serious for her to deal with.

The pair, who were both smartly dressed in red ties, walked into court with balaclavas over their heads.

The much photographed tree, which features in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, was chopped down in the dead of night in September last year, causing a national outrage.

It was found with its upper section lying across the historic Roman barrier, which is a World Heritage Site, after being targeted in a ‘malicious act of vandalism’

Prosecutor Rebecca Brown told the judge: ‘This is a case that will instantly be recognisable to you and anyone hearing the charges read.’

She explained the detailed process that led to the Sycamore Gap tree, that was situated next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, being valued at £622,191.

She said the prosecution’s case was that the tree was ‘deliberately felled’ on 28 September last year and damage caused to Hadrian’s Wall at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The wall damage was put at £1,144.

She said it is alleged the men were part of a ‘joint enterprise.’

The court heard that sentencing guidelines for the offence put the sentence upon conviction for the offence at between 18 months and four years custody.

But she added that ‘unusual features’ of the case could put the sentence over the ‘top end’ of the guideline terms.

Ms Brown said it was a ‘complex case’ with a ‘large amount of expert evidence’ that would include the ‘valuation of the tree.’

The CAVAT tool – Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees – was used to place the six figure valuation on the iconic Sycamore Gap tree.

She said ‘a number of different factors’ were involved in calculating it’s value including size, type and impact on the community. The number of members of the public with access to the tree also put it in the ‘high valuation category.’

Other factors were the ‘serious distress caused and the serious consequential economic and social impact.’

Graham, a builder from Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Carruthers of Church Street, Wigton, were both released on unconditional bail to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on 12 June.

The two criminal damage charges state they damaged the sycamore tree and Hadrian’s Wall, both belonging to the National Trust, without lawful excuse.

Graham runs his own small construction business out of a site near Carlisle in Cumbria.

He lives in a caravan by a field with horses and has a number of dogs on his land in the countryside near the city.

The 300-year-old sycamore was Part of the Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO world heritage site, for decades it had drawn walkers and visitors and was a magnet for photographers, and wedding proposals.

The senseless felling of the tree caused a public outcry and headlines across the world.

Last September, walkers first noticed how part of the iconic tree appeared to have been marked with white paint, indicating someone may have felled it with a chainsaw.

Alison Hawkins, who lives in Liverpool, was one of the first people on the scene posting a picture on Facebook with the caption: ‘An awful moment for all walking Hadrian’s Wall. The Sycamore Gap tree has gone! Not the storm an absolute ******* felled it!!’

Ms Hawkins, who was on her fourth day of walking Hadrian’s Wall, said she was ‘tearful’ when she discovered the tree had been cut down.

She said: ‘At first we thought it was because of the storm but then we saw a national park ranger.

‘He said it had been cut down and there was paint around the cut section, so it was a professional who knew where they were going to cut.

‘It was a proper shock. It’s basically the iconic picture that everyone wants to see. You can forgive nature doing it but you can’t forgive that.’ 

Following the wicked act, a Northumberland National Park Authority spokesman said: ‘Northumberland National Park Authority can confirm that sadly, the famous tree at Sycamore Gap has come down over night. We have reason to believe it has been deliberately felled.

‘We are working with the relevant agencies and partners with an interest in this iconic North East landmark and will issue more details once they are known.’ 

They added: ‘It is not clear currently whether the tree is a victim of Storm Agnes or it is a deliberate act – though pictures indicate a clean and straight cut.’

The Sycamore Gap was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016 in the Woodland Trust’s awards and is much loved by people from across the world. 

The mayor for North Tyne and Metro, Jamie Driscoll, visited the devastation and said: ‘This tree is iconic. You can see love stones on the floor where people in the past have proposed to their partners.

‘Other people have had their ashes scattered here. This is part of our culture. I have family in North America and when they come across we take them here.

‘This is not a tree cut down. This is an insult to the people of Northumberland. If you look at the damage, you realise it is someone with a 28-inch chainsaw who knew what they’re doing.

‘I’ve had lots of messages from people who are upset about it. I’m normally a measured man but I’m very angry about this.

‘I’ve heard people are in tears. It’s a really special place to the people from the surrounding area.’

The National Trust, which owns the land on which the tree stood, hopes the sycamore will live on after scientists found that salvaged seeds and cuttings are showing signs of being viable for new growth.