Daniel Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton, Cumbria, deny two charges of criminal damage after the ancient tree was cut down with a chainsaw on the night of September 28, 2023.
The picturesque tree is believed to have stood for several centuries and was a popular spot with tourists for pictures and marriage proposals.
The famous tree was felled in September 2023 (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Richard Wright KC opened the case for the prosecution at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday and described the incident as “an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.”
Footage recovered from Graham’s phone allegedly shows the pair in the act of cutting down the tree.
“The video, when first played, is extremely dark,” he told Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Wright said prosecutors cannot say which of the defendants did the cutting and which was filming, but that this is not necessary to prove the charge.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers in the dock at Newcastle Crown Court (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)Metadata recovered from Graham’s phone shows the video was filmed at 12.32am on September 28, 2023 and co-ordinates were for the area where the Sycamore Gap stood, the court heard.
“The prosecution suggest that the video was taken by someone holding the phone in their hand.
Video and voice notes exchanged by defendants
An ANPR camera caught Graham’s Range Rover car leaving the Brampton area of Carlisle at 11.37pm on the night of the incident, and returning at 1.18am the next day.
At 1.26am, Carruthers started a Facebook Messenger conversation with his partner Amy Connor, who sent him a video of a child being bottle fed.
“You know the score,” Carruthers responded.
Graham and Carruthers sent each other messages the next day “revelling in” what they had done, talking about Sycamore Gap felling going “wild” and “viral,” and commenting that the damage had clearly been done by “a professional”, the court heard.
Adam Carruthers at Newcastle Crown Court (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
He told jurors: “They are loving it, they’re revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it’s funny, or clever, or big.”
Jurors were played a voice note from Carruthers to Graham saying: “Someone there has tagged like ITV News, BBC News, Sky News, like news, news, news. I think it’s gonna go wild.”
Just after 7pm that evening Graham sent another voice note to Carruthers saying: “Jeffrey it’s on f****** Sky News as we speak.”
Wedge of wood ‘taken as trophy’
Mr Wright said the evidence showed the defendants marked where they intended to cut the tree with silver spray paint before cutting out a wedge that would dictate the direction in which the tree would fall.
“A forensic botanist has confirmed that there is very strong evidence to support the hypothesis that the piece of wood in the video and images is the wedge that was taken from Sycamore Gap,” he added.
Adam Carruthers, 32, is standing trial over the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)Ian Everard, who had worked for the Forestry Commission for over 36 years, examined the tree and the photographs, and confirmed that the marking of the tree and cutting a wedge is a recognised technique in felling, the court heard.
“It also shows that the people who felled the tree knew that the tree would fall onto the wall, or at least would have known that there was a risk that it would fall onto the wall.”
Friendship over as defendants blame each other
A chainsaw and piece of wood pictured on Graham’s phone have never been recovered, the court heard (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)Mr Wright told the jury that at the time of the incident Carruthers and Graham were “friends who were regularly in each other’s company”.
Graham and Adam Carruthers’ “once close friendship appears to have unravelled,” with each of them now apparently blaming the other.
“His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling.
“Carruthers on the other hand denies that he had anything at all to do with the felling of the tree and will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down.
The trial at Newcastle Crown Court continues.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 5 things we learned from the Sycamore Gap trial from texts to ‘taking a trophy’ )
Also on site :