Men guilty of felling much-loved British 'Sycamore Gap' tree

Two men were recovered blameworthy connected Friday of cutting down Britain's 'Sycamore Gap' histrion 2 years ago, felling the much-loved landmark whose melodramatic silhouette had featured successful a Hollywood movie successful what prosecutors described arsenic a "moronic mission".

The sycamore, estimated to beryllium astir 200 years old, stood astatine the centre of a melodramatic dip successful the scenery alongside the historical Hadrian's Wall successful bluish England, making it a fashionable spot for photographers, hikers and adjacent matrimony proposals.

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Such was its fame that it featured successful the 1991 movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and its felling successful September 2023 provoked wide grief and anger.

Prosecutor Richard Wright told jurors astatine Newcastle Crown Court past period that Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were liable for the "mindless vandalism", expertly and deliberately cutting it down with a chainsaw.

The felling besides caused harm to portion of Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans astir 2,000 years agone and present a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

General presumption of the felled Sycamore Gap successful Northumberland, Britain, September 28, 2023. (REUTERS/Lee Smith)

Graham and Carruthers, who travelled to the tract successful the Northumberland National Park from their homes successful the Carlisle area, astir 25 miles away, had denied immoderate involvement. But they were convicted of 2 counts of transgression damage.

The men volition beryllium sentenced connected July 15.

"For implicit a century, Sycamore Gap has been an iconic earthy landmark successful the northbound eastbound of England, bringing immeasurable joyousness to those visiting the area," Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist said.

"In conscionable nether 3 minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historical bequest successful a deliberate and mindless enactment of destruction."

During the trial, the assemblage was shown a video of their "moronic mission", filmed connected Graham's mobile phone, which showed grainy footage of what appeared to beryllium the iconic histrion being chopped down.

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The prosecution said the men had taken a wedge of the histrion arsenic a trophy and messages they sent to each different afterwards showed they had been "revelling" successful the worldwide absorption to the incident. No mentation has been fixed for their actions.

The National Trust, a practice conservation foundation which looks aft the site, said past August determination were signs of beingness astatine the basal of the tree, giving anticipation it mightiness unrecorded on.