Sycamore Gap accused kept trophy of tree, jury told

Two men accused of chopping down the famous Sycamore Gap tree kept a wedge as a trophy in a felling that prosecutors described as a "moronic mission".

The tree had stood for more than 100 years in a dip on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland before it was felled overnight on 27 September 2023, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Daniel Michael Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton in Cumbria, each deny two counts of criminal damage relating to the tree and the Roman wall.

Opening the case to jurors, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the tree, which was held in "high affection" by many, had been chopped down in just minutes and the accused had "loved" the outrage caused.

The tree, which was planted in the late 1800s, had become "famous" and been photographed and depicted in films and art works "countless times", Mr Wright said.

• The trial opening as it happened

On the night of 27 September, Mr Carruthers and Mr Graham had made a 40-minute drive in the latter's Range Rover from Cumbria to chop down the tree, the prosecutor said.

As one had cut it down using a technique known as hinge and wedge, the other had filmed the act of "deliberate mindless criminal damage" on Mr Graham's mobile phone, the court heard.

In the two minute and 41 second-long grainy video shown to jurors, a silhouetted figure can be seen appearing to cut at the base of a large tree which then falls over with a big crash.

Mr Wright said the person filming the "criminal" act was just as responsible as the person "wielding the chainsaw".

"Though the tree had grown for over a hundred years, the act of irreparably damaging it was the work of a matter of minutes," Mr Wright said.

It was a "moronic mission" that the pair had appeared to be "revelling in", the prosecutor said.

Mobile phone data and automatic number plate recognition cameras showed them travelling towards and away from the remote site, with a wedge of wood believed to have been cut out of the tree photographed by the pair in the boot of Mr Graham's car, the court heard.

The following morning, when news of the "senseless" attack had broken and sparked international outrage, the two accused shared multiple news and social media posts between themselves.

In one message, Mr Graham said "here we go", the court heard.

In a comment on Facebook, a man wrote: "Some weak people that walk this earth, disgusting behaviour."

Two minutes later, Mr Graham sent his co-accused a voice note saying: "Weak? Does he realise how heavy [stuff] is":[]}