Sycamore Gap tree-cutters get four-year prison terms

Justice Christina Lambert on Tuesday sentenced Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers to four years and three months in prison each for felling England’s iconic Sycamore Gap tree. The two vandals also received a sentence of six months each, served concurrently, for resulting damage to Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to the BBC. However, the men would be released after serving no more than 40% of their sentences, the BBC reported.

A Newcastle, England, jury in May found Graham and Carruthers guilty of criminal damage for felling the tree in September 2023. The men in court blamed each other and denied committing the crime. Both admitted to their involvement in subsequent probation interviews, according to the BBC.

What did Northumberland National Park do with the remains of the tree? The largest piece of the sycamore’s trunk became part of an art installation in the park’s visitors center, according to a press release posted last week. Forty-nine saplings from the tree were scheduled for planting in locations across the United Kingdom beginning this fall, according to the park. The tree’s stump continues to grow new shoots, the park said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Graham and Carruthers' conviction in May.