Two men who destroyed one of Britain’s most beloved natural landmarks have been found guilty of causing criminal damage. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted after the Sycamore Gap tree — a 150-year-old icon beside Hadrian’s Wall — was cut down in September 2023. The tree, valued at over £620,000, also caused damage to the Roman wall when it fell.
Revenge believed to be motive behind late-night attack
Jurors heard claims that the felling may have been driven by a personal grudge. Graham, a groundworker and tree surgeon, had been in a long-running dispute with local authorities and residents after attempting to turn a piece of rural land into a permanent home. He moved a caravan onto the site and began building without full planning permission, leading to complaints from neighbours.
After the council refused to grant him residential status, Graham was reportedly enraged. Locals now believe the destruction of the tree was a calculated act of revenge. “He’s a tree surgeon — he knows how to bring a tree down,” said one neighbour. “What better way, in his eyes, to make a point?”
Felled during a storm and filmed as a ‘trophy’
The pair travelled from the Carlisle area to the remote site near Hadrian’s Wall under cover of darkness during Storm Agnes. Using professional tree-felling techniques, they brought down the sycamore in a way that caused it to crash onto the historic wall. The moment was filmed on Graham’s phone and later recovered by police.
The court was told they took a wedge from the trunk as a trophy, which has never been found. Prosecutors described the act as a “moronic mission” and the “arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery”.
Defendants turn on each other in court
During the trial, both men tried to shift blame. Graham claimed Carruthers had taken his phone and car without his knowledge, while Carruthers said he was at home with his newborn baby. The jury rejected both accounts.
The prosecution argued that the two men “must have thought this was going to be a bit of a laugh” but quickly realised the country saw them not as pranksters but vandals. The incident sparked national outrage and mourning, with many describing the act as a crime against heritage.
The two men will be sentenced later this year and face potential jail time.
