The Sycamore Gap tree had grown for more than 100 years in a dip on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England, but it took just over 2½ minutes to come crashing down in the early hours of September 28, 2023. Daniel Michael Graham 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage after filming themselves using a chainsaw to illegally fell the landmark tree. The pair, whose friendship imploded in the aftermath as the public revulsion became clear to them, drove to the site under the cover of darkness in the early hours of the morning. Carruthers claimed it was "drunken stupidity" but the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, said it was "sheer bravado" with the men getting a thrill from the outrage they caused and revelling in their notoriety. The National Trust, which has managed the tree since 1942, said the landmark had "belonged to the people" and its mindless destruction was beyond comprehension. The value of the tree was disputed with prosecutors saying it was worth about £458,000 ($61,485) and Graham's team claiming it to be about £150,000 ($201,578), but Mrs. Justice Lambert said the exact price didn't really matter. For felling the tree, the men were each jailed for 4 years and 3 months, with a further 6 months to be served concurrently for the damage they caused to Hadrian's Wall.
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| Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers |
