CNN
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Two men have been sentenced to four years and three months each in prison for felling a landmark sycamore tree in northern England.
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were both found guilty of two counts of criminal damage in May, one relating to the tree itself and the other to Hadrian’s Wall that it fell on, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.
The pair were sentenced in Newcastle Crown Court in northeast England on Tuesday.
The tree had stood sentinel on the Roman-built Hadrian’s Wall for more than 200 years before being “deliberately felled” in September 2023, in what authorities at the time called an “act of vandalism.”
Handing down the sentence, the judge said the pair acted with “sheer bravado” and “revelled in the media coverage” their criminal act engendered.
Prosecuting lawyer Richard Wright KC told jurors during the trial that Graham and Carruthers, who had travelled more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, had engaged in a “moronic mission” to cut down the landmark, PA reported.
The lead prosecutor in the case, Christopher Atkinson of the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement that both men had cynically lied about the part they played and blamed each other for “the mindless destruction of this historic landmark.”
The felling of the tree sparked an outpouring of public grief and made global headlines in September 2023.
“An overwhelming sense of loss and confusion was felt across the world,” Andrew Poad, a manager at the National Trust, said in a victim impact statement read out in court, according to PA media.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth echoed these sentiments in a statement, saying: “The unfathomable felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree generated outrage and upset among many people who had taken Northumberland’s iconic tree to heart.”
“Today those who sought to destroy nature’s poignant symbol of Northumberland have been held accountable,” she added.
The beloved sycamore tree, located in the Northumberland National Park, was made famous to millions around the world when it appeared in Kevin Costner’s 1991 blockbuster movie “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”
The tree – at a spot known as “Sycamore Gap” – was located on the UNESCO World Heritage listed Hadrian’s Wall, which was constructed around 1,900 years ago to guard the furthest northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire.
Sycamore Gap was considered one of the most photographed trees in England and was voted as English Tree of the Year in 2016.
Responding to the sentencing, a National Trust spokesperson said: “As the investigation into the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree concludes, we are deeply grateful for the thousands of messages of support received from around the world over the past 18 months.
“The enduring sense of loss reflects the powerful bond between people and our natural heritage,” the spokesperson added.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Jack Guy and Issy Ronald contributed reporting.
