The case
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers cut down the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland during the night of 27–28 September 2023. The falling tree also damaged Hadrian’s Wall.
Evidence and court findings
The prosecution described a deliberate journey from the Carlisle area with equipment needed to fell the tree. Both defendants denied the charges. A jury at Newcastle Crown Court convicted each of two criminal damage offences in May 2025. The sentencing judge considered the damage to a nationally recognised landscape and heritage site.
The sentence
On 15 July 2025, both men received four years and three months in prison. Reports describing a combined eight-and-a-half years refer to the sum of their separate sentences, not the term imposed on either defendant.
Sources and case status
This dated report records the sentence imposed. It does not establish a present prison location or release date.
By Street Crime UK · Source record checked 21 October 2026.
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