July 15, 2025

Vandals who cut down Sycamore Gap tree sentenced in England to more than 4 years in prison

July 15, 2025
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Vandals who cut down Sycamore Gap tree sentenced in England to more than 4 years in prison

By BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Two men who cut down England’s beloved Sycamore Gap tree were sentenced Tuesday to more than four years in prison.

The felled Sycamore Gap tree is seen on Hadrian's Wall
FILE – The felled Sycamore Gap tree is seen on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England, Sept. 29, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP, File)

The tree stood for nearly 150 years before Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers carried out what a prosecutor called a “moronic mission” and cut it down in the middle of the night, toppling it onto Hadrian’s Wall.

Graham, 39, and Carruthers, 32, were each convicted of two counts of criminal damage — one for destroying the tree, the other for damaging the ancient wall.

Justice Christina Lambert sentenced the pair each to four years and three months in prison during the hearing in Newcastle Crown Court.

The tree, perched in a saddle between two hills, had been known to locals for its scenic setting but became famous after a cameo in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.” It drew tourists, lovers, landscape photographers and even those who spread the ashes of loved ones. It was voted English “Tree of the Year” in 2016.

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