Key events
Carruthers’ involvement in felling was due to ‘drunken stupidity’, defence says
Gurney, speaking for Carruthers, said his client had finally offered a motive for chopping down the tree.
He said:
He has made admissions in his Pre-Sentence Report. He does wish to cleanse his conscience of what he has done.
People want to know ‘Why? Why did you conduct this mindless act?’
Unfortunately, it is no more than drunken stupidity.
He felled that tree and it is something he will regret for the rest of his life. There’s no better explanation than that.
Gurney said Carruthers was a good father, a hard-worker and hitherto, was of good character.
This act of criminal damage was “anathema” to him, Mr Gurney said.
He added:
That is not the sort of person he is, or wants to be.
He does wish to make good on that on his release. He hopes, by his actions moving forward, he can repay what he has done, in some way.
Lambert said she will pass sentence from 2.15pm on Tuesday.
Andrew Gurney, for Adam Carruthers, said the defendant played an active role in bringing up his children, ages six and two.
Being in prison since May had been “torture” for him as he had never been away from his children for so long, Gurney said.
It is his stupid actions that have caused him to be taken away from his family and his children.
The defence representative added:
Mr Carruthers is someone who is going to have to bear the burden of what he has done for the rest of his life.
He is a man of previous good character. That is gone.
He will forever be linked to this act.
He will have to carry this as some form of personal penance.
Defence describes ‘malign intent’ towards Graham
Chris Knox, defending Daniel Graham, said the defendant had set up a “proper business which paid tax and did all the appropriate things”.
He said the ground worker’s home, and the business he operated from it, were attacked after he was remanded in custody, including having windows broken, the barrister said.
He said:
He is a troubled man who has had very real difficulties in his life, which have not all been of his own making.
Graham had also received hate mail which showed “very unpleasant, malign intent towards him,” Knox said.
He included four character references for the judge to consider.
Referring to a previous depressive illness that Graham had suffered from, which resulted in him going to hospital, Justice Lambert said she had been told that the condition was in remission.
Knox agreed and said that he was not asking the judge to give Graham a discounted sentence, but he reaffirmed that the defendant was “a man who has had difficulties”.
Knox said Graham will have to rebuild his life when he is eventually released, adding: “He will have to rely on his friends to get himself re-established.”
Wright said the two offences were committed jointly by both defendants throughout.
Justice Lambert asked if Wright would consider a four-year sentence sufficient.
He said it was not for the Crown to suggest a specific sentence but the guidelines provided “headroom” for the judge to take the starting point of 18 months and then lengthen the jail term when considering aggravating factors.
Prosecutor Wright said that in their pre-sentence reports both defendants “now appear to have admitted their role in felling the tree, in the sense they both admit they went on the mission”.
He told the court they denied intending for the tree to be cut down, either saying they were intoxicated or that they “didn’t believe it would happen until it did”.
Wright said:
The prosecution rejects these late admissions… The court can be sure they were sober and prepared to do what they did.
He said one of the aggravating factors was the site’s heritage status and the defendants’ attempts to avoid detection.
Wright said they knew other people, including a young boy, had been arrested in connection with the offence and were “closely following (the investigation) when they knew they were responsible”.
Richard Wright, prosecuting, said there was a “high degree of planning and premeditation”.
He told the court:
This was an expedition which required significant planning in terms of taking a vehicle, driving for about 40 minutes to a car park, taking with them appropriate specialist equipment, carrying the equipment for about 20 minutes’ walk in each direction.
The felling was carried out in a deliberate, professional way.
Wright said the prosecution allege that the night was selected because of the weather, and Daniel Graham had said during the trial it was easier to fell a tree in high winds.
National Trust manager Andrew Poad’s victim impact statement said the cost of removing the tree was £30,000, with £20,000 to be spent on the site in 2025, all paid for from charitable funds.
He said an email address set up within days of the felling for people to share thoughts received 600 responses in a month.
One said:
My husband proposed to me at Sycamore Gap under its leafy shelter. A few years ago after lockdown we took our children to see and walk the same section of the wall.
I’m so glad we got to share such a beautiful and special spot with them before it was gone.
A further response said:
A simply iconic part of our North East heritage, representing strength and longevity.
The court was shown pictures of the new Sycamore Gap Celebration Room at The Sill site in Northumberland, and some comments left by people on a board and in the visitors’ book.
One said:
Nature at its best over 300 years, humanity at its worst over one night.
Sarah Dodd is the founding owner and CEO of Tree Law, a firm set up to manage legal issues involving trees.
She says the sentencing of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers will be a “significant moment”, not just for those directly involved, but for everyone who cares about protecting our natural environment.
She said:
The Sycamore Gap tree wasn’t just any tree. It was an iconic landmark, rooted in history and deeply loved by so many.
Its felling felt mindless. A single act that destroyed something which took centuries to grow and stood as part of our shared landscape. The sense of outrage and sadness it caused shows how much trees matter to people’s lives and identities.
Dodd said she hopes the sentencing will send a “powerful message” about the need to respect and uphold the legal frameworks in place to safeguard the environment.
She added:
This case is unprecedented. We have rarely seen prosecutions like this, and the length of sentencing being considered is a clear reflection of the seriousness with which the court views this crime. It shows that tree protection laws carry real weight, and that damaging our natural heritage is not something that will be tolerated lightly.
Prosecutor Richard Wright said Graham had two previous convictions for battery in 2007 and 2016 and two public order offences in 2021 and 2022.
He said the offences were “all relationship-based” and none resulted in a prison offence.
Graham also had a caution for theft when he cut up logs using a chainsaw and made off with them. He has been in custody since he was remanded on 21 December last year.
Carruthers has no previous convictions, arrests, reprimands or warnings. He has been held since the pair were convicted on 9 May.
The tree’s value was initially assessed as £622,191, while damage to Hadrian’s Wall was calculated to be £1,144.
Richard Wright, prosecuting, said the value of the tree has been disputed, and that the lowest figure the Crown would agree with was £458,000.
Mrs Justice Lambert said she had seen a number of expert valuations and the main point, when it came to sentencing, was that it was worth more than £5,000.
Prosecution submissions begin in court
Mark Brown
The prosecution submissions have begun and include an impact statement from Andrew Poad, the general manager for the National Trust of the Sycamore Gap site.
It is being read out in court by barrister Rebecca Brown.
Poad said:
This iconic tree can never be replaced. It belonged to the people. It was a totemic symbol, for many; a destination to visit whilst walking Hadrian’s Wall, a place to make memories, take photos in all seasons; but it was also a place of sanctuary – a calming, reflective space that people came to year after year.
Alongside partners, it was clear in the aftermath of the felling how much its loss impacted on the nation, with an outpouring of love and emotion.
He said the National Trust had received many messages after the tree’s felling and gave examples.
One read:
I’m from Australia and have only ever seen the tree in photographs. To say I’m sickened is putting it mildly… my heart actually hurts.
Poad described the outpouring of emotion after the fell as “unprecedented”.
Carruthers and Graham were charged with causing criminal damage worth £622,191 to the tree. They were also charged with causing £1,144 of damage to Hadrian’s Wall, a Unesco world heritage site. The wall and the tree belong to the National Trust.
A National Trust spokesperson said:
The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage.
The tree was a symbol of Northumberland, was the site of countless family visits and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Mark Brown
The hearing has resumed and barristers representing Graham and Carruthers have opposed the application for handcuffs to be used in the docks.
The judge has agreed and rejected the application.
Mark Brown
The courtroom has been cleared as the session is now in chambers.
This means discussions are being held out of public view and there is no access for the press or public.
The pair felled the tree as Storm Agnes raged in the early hours of 28 September 2023. It had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the landscape.
Neither Graham nor Carruthers showed any visible emotion as guilty verdicts were delivered at a hearing on 9 May 2025. It took the jury five hours to reach the unanimous verdicts.
The pair saw it as a “bit of a laugh” and afterwards “revelled” in their infamy as the crime made headlines around the world, a jury was told. They thought themselves “big or funny or clever”.
Graham and Carruthers were convicted of criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian’s Wall, which had been damaged when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument.
Remanding both men into custody, Mrs Justice Lambert said at the hearing in May that they could face “a lengthy period” in jail.
Mark Brown
The trial judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, came briefly into court and told prosecuting and defence barristers that there had been an application for Graham and Carruthers to be brought into court in handcuffs.
Lawyers representing both men have now left the courtroom in order to speak with their clients.
Court opens for sentencing hearing
Mark Brown
Officials at Newcastle crown court began letting people into court one at 10.45am for the sentencing.
There are a dozen journalists in the press benches and nearly a dozen more in seats normally used by the jury.
The public gallery too is packed.
Opening summary: Sycamore Gap pair face sentencing
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of the sentencing hearing for the Sycamore Gap tree felling case.
Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, are due to be sentenced on Tuesday after being convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the landscape.
They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument.
The maximum sentence for criminal damage is 10 years and aggravating factors include whether it was done to a heritage or cultural asset and evidence of wider impact on the community.
Mrs Justice Lambert will sentence the pair, who have been held in custody after their trial in May, at Newcastle crown court.
Below is a summary of the case up to this point:
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The pair used a chainsaw to cut down the cherished tree, next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, as Storm Agnes raged in the early hours of 28 September 2023.
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Graham’s Range Rover was picked up on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras between Carlisle and Sycamore Gap at night on 27 September 2023, and returning early the next morning. His mobile was traced to phone masts making the same journey.
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When police arrested the pair and searched Graham’s phone, they found a two-minute and 41-second video, which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on 28 September, and had been sent to Carruthers.
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They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered and revelled in the media coverage, with messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going “wild” and “viral”.
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Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors the pair had engaged in a “moronic mission” to cut down the landmark, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying their equipment across pitch black moorland during the storm back in September 2023.
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Graham and Carruthers were found guilty of criminal damage at a hearing on 9 May 2025. The jury took five hours to reach unanimous verdicts.
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When she remanded the pair, Lambert said they could face “a lengthy period in custody”.