A man accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree told his co-accused “Jeffrey, it’s gone viral” as news broke of the irreparable damage, a jury was told.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are both charged with two counts of criminal damage relating to the tree and a section of the Roman-built wall it fell on during the night of 27 September, 2023.
The pair are accused of driving from Carlisle to the beauty spot in Northumberland, where one used a chainsaw to cut down the tree, while the other one filmed the act.
At their trial at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, police analyst Amy Sutherland took jurors through messages between the defendants on the morning of 28 September.
In one voicenote message, Graham said to Carruthers, using his nickname Jeffrey: “Jeffrey, it’s gone viral, it’s gone worldwide, it will be on ITV News tonight.”
Later, Graham sent another message saying: “Jeffrey, it’s on Sky News as we speak.”
Opening the case on Tuesday, prosecutor Richard Wright KC said messages between the pair showed they were “revelling in” what they had done. 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.”
Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, 32, from Wigton in Cumbria, deny all the charges against them.
Key points
- Jury shown video of 'Sycamore Gap tree being felled'
- Damage to Hadrian's Wall could have been 'catastrophic', jury told
- Park rangers 'visibly upset and shocked' at discovery, jury told
- Walker describes visiting tree hours before it was chopped down
- Timeline: How the felling of Sycamore Gap allegedly unfolded
Case adjourned for the day
16:36 , Alex RossThe trial at Newcastle Crown Court has been adjourned until 10am on Thursday.
The moment the first police officer arrives at the scene
16:26 , Alex RossEarlier today, the jury was shown footage of the first police officer, Pc Peter Borini , arriving at the scene of the felled Sycamore Gap tree after seeing photographs online.
He can be heard telling members of the public to move away from the tree “so we can get as much evidence as we can”.
Where is Sycamore Gap
16:03In another agreed fact read out by Rebecca Brown, junior prosecution counsel, Sycamore Gap is situated in the Northumberland National Park.
Defendant became a father for the second time less than two weeks before tree was felled, jury told
15:42 , Alex RossA series of agreed facts are now being out by Rebecca Brown, junior prosecution counsel.
These are details agreed by all legal parties that can be shared with the jury.
They include the defendants’ date of births, and also their children’s.
They reveal that Adam Carruthers, 32, became a father for the second time only 12 days before the tree was felled.
Miss Brown says Carruthers had no previous convictions, reprimands, warnings or cautions.
Defendant searched 'police statement Sycamore Gap'
15:13 , Alex RossAs well as searching for the initial suspect, Amy Sutherland, the police analyst, said Daniel Graham also used YouTube to look up “police statement Sycamore Gap”.
He also did several searches for “Sycamore Gap”, she tells the jury.
Ms Sutherland said Graham looked up an online article about the National Trust creating a replica of the fallen tree using a 3D scan.
She said that the defendants were arrested on October 31 2023 and again on November 3.
Accused searched for earlier suspect in Sycamore Gap investigation, jury told
14:44 , Alex RossThe jury is now being given more information on the what was found on Daniel Graham’s phone.
Graham, along with Adam Carruthers, are accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree.
Police analyst Amy Sutherland tells the jury that Graham’s phone showed numerous Google searches for an earlier suspect in the police investigation who was later released with no further action.
She said that between October 3 and October 5 searches were made on Graham’s phone for “Water Renwick” and “Walter Renwick Plankey Mill”.
Mr Renwick was arrested on September 29 2023 but was later told he would face no further action.
Back underway after lunch
14:40 , Alex RossFollowing an adjournment for lunch, the trial is back underway with policy analyst Amy Sutherland giving evidence.
'It's on Sky News', defendant tells co-accused, jury told
14:00 , Alex RossFollowing the felling of the tree, the court heard how Daniel Graham sent a voicenote to Adam Carruthers using his nickname, saying: “Jeffrey, it’s gone viral, it’s gone worldwide, it will be on ITV News tonight.”
Later, Graham sent another message saying: “Jeffrey, it’s on f****** Sky News as we speak.”
Carruthers sent Graham a video of the Sky News channel’s rolling news banner.
'Not a bad angle on that stump' - defendants' messages shared after tree felled
13:47Now we’re hearing more on the messages shared between the defendants the day after the Sycamore Gap tree came down on the night of September 27, 2023.
The jury is told by police analyst Amy Sutherland that in one message Graham said to Carruthers: “Not a bad angle on that stump”, adding: “That’s clearly a professional.”
One screenshot sent by Carruthers to Graham showed Facebook comments with a circle around one that said: “Judging by the quality of the cut and size of tree I would say whoever it was has knowledge of how to fell large trees.”
CCTV clip shows vehicle leaving Sycamore Gap tree car park
13:28 , Alex RossAnother video has now been shown to jurors, this time a CCTV clip taken from the Twice Brewed Inn close to the Sycamore Gap.
It shows vehicle headlights coming from Steel Rigg car park, often used by people visiting the Sycamore Gap tree, at 12.58am on September 28.
Police analyst Amy Sutherland has also said that Daniel Graham’s phone connected to the network at 1.29am after being detached at 11.41pm.
Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court are then shown images of a chainsaw and a piece of wood taken at around 2am, with metadata showing they were taken at Graham’s home.
Yesterday, it was prosecutor Richard Wright said it was likely the piece of wood was the wedge from cutting the tree, and it could have been kept as a trophy.
Full report: Mobile phone video showing 'Sycamore Gap tree felled'
13:24 , Alex RossFootage played to the jury of the Sycamore Gap tree allegedly being felled has been released to the media.
You can read our full report on the video here:
Watch: Sycamore Gap video footage of ‘tree being chopped down’
Chainsaw heard buzzing in enhanced version of felling video
12:59The video clip lasts two minutes and 40 seconds and recovered from Graham’s phone was played to Newcastle Crown Court twice.
Once showing the dark, raw footage, and a second time after it had been enhanced by a police specialist.
In the enhanced black and white version, with audio of wind blowing and a chainsaw buzzing, a figure can been seen working at the trunk of the tree, before it finally crashes to the ground.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said the original video was enhanced by changing the contrast, putting a border around the frame and brightening the film “so it could be seen more clearly”.
Jury shown video of 'Sycamore Gap tree being felled'
12:31Analyst Amy Sutherland introduced a video to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court which apparently shows the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.
She said it was taken from a phone which was taken from Daniel Graham’s jacket pocket, and was two minutes and 40 seconds long.
She said it was “in darkness” but that “sounds of a chainsaw” could be heard.
Ms Sutherland told the court the video was in the downloads on Graham’s phone and she had been able to get the coordinates of where it was filmed from the metadata. She said the coordinates were for Sycamore Gap.
ANPR picked up defendant's car heading away from Carlisle, jury told
12:28 , Alex RossEvidence from ANPR cameras is now being presented to the jury with police analyst Amy Sutherland taking the jury through the timeline of events.
She first details a Facebook Messenger conversation between Adam Carruthers and his partner between 9.10pm and 9.30pm in which she sends him a picture of their sleeping child, which prosecutors say shows he was not at home with his family. She also later asks him if he locked the gate.
Ms Sutherland confirms cell site data and ANPR cameras on the A689 then shows Daniel Graham’s phone and Range Rover were moving eastwards from Carlisle towards Brampton that night.
The vehicle was then picked up by the same cameras travelling back towards Carlisle at 1.13am and 1.18am on September 28.
Jurors were shown CCTV footage from a camera at the Twice Brewed Inn which captured vehicle headlights making a left turn towards the Steel Rigg car park, which is used by visitors to Sycamore Gap, at 11.55pm.
Sycamore Gap bought from landowner by National Trust in 1940s
12:07 , Alex RossA statement now from National Trust general manager Andrew Poad, who said the wall and the tree belonged to the trust, and no-one had been authorised to damage either of them.
He said it was believed that the tree was planted in the 1800s by previous landowner, John Clayton, “to be a feature in the landscape”.
Mr Poad said the National Trust bought the site in 1942.
Watch: Bodyworn footage from first police officer to the scene
12:01The jury has been shown bodyworn footage that shows Pc Peter Borini walking across open land to the felled Sycamore Gap tree, where a number of people can be seen standing at the scene taking photos.
He tells Northumberland National Park rangers he will make a cordon around the area and asks members of the public to move away from the tree “so we can get as much evidence as we can”.
You can watch it here:
Sycamore Gap: Moment police see felled 150-year-old tree for the first time
Damage to Hadrian's Wall could have been 'catastrophic', jury told
11:43 , Alex RossThe damage caused by the falling of the Sycamore Gap tree to Hardian’s Wall could have been ‘catastrophic’, according to an Historic England archaeologist.
In a statement read out by Lee McFarlane, he said the significance of Hadrian’s Wall was “internationally recognised” and it was designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987.
The statement read: “Hadrian’s Wall marks one of the frontiers of the Roman empire and the importance of the surviving remains has been recognised through (the Unesco designation).”
Ms McFarlane said some of the stones in Hadrian’s Wall were damaged when the tree was felled as it landed across the wall itself, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
She said it was fortunate the tree was still in full leaf as the crown of the tree appeared to have acted as a “cushion,” and that the damage could have been “catastrophic” otherwise.
She said £1,144 of damage had been caused to the wall.
Full assessment of the damage to Hadrian's Wall was not initially possible, jury told
11:39 , Alex RossTony Wilmott’s statement said the tree was felled during Storm Agnes overnight on September 28.
A full assessment of damage to the wall was not possible, due to the precarious way the tree lay, until it had been removed, he said.
But it was clear that a bough had snapped and caused spalling to stones on top of the wall, he said.
Sycamore Gap tree's profile had 'become totemic', jury told
11:31Now a statement is read out by Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist with Historic England.
Mr Wilmott produced a seven-page report into the damage caused to Hadrian’s Wall, which was valued at just over £1,000.
The Sycamore Gap name was coined in the 1980s and over the decades it has become one of Northumberland’s most appreciated features, he said.
He said: “Its unmistakeable profile has been repeated in many media and because of this it has become totemic.
“It has become a place of marriage proposals, family visits and even the location of ashes to be spread.
“The place is much loved by many thousands of people.”
Forestry Commission worker describes how tree was chopped down
11:22We’re next hearing a statement from Ian Everard, a Forestry Commission for over 36 years, who examined the tree and the photographs.
He said the “hinge and wedge” technique had been used in the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.
This involves making a notch in the falling direction and allows the direction the tree will fall in to be predicted.
Park rangers 'visibly upset and shocked' at discovery, jury told
11:07Now a statement from PC Peter Borini is being read out by Rebecca Brown, junior counsel for the prosecution. He was the first police officer at the scene, the jury was told yesterday.
He said he was alerted to the incident on the morning of September 28 2023 after there were numerous social media posts about the tree having been cut down.
When he arrived there were members of the public there taking videos and park rangers “who were visibly upset and shocked at what they were witnessing”.
He noticed that the trunk was marked with silver spray.
It had fallen in a northerly direction across Hadrian’s Wall.
Pc Borini took footage using his body-worn camera of the scene and set up a cordon to preserve evidence.
Walker who took picture of tree hours before felling provides statement
11:02 , Alex RossA statement is now being read from Alice Whysall Price, who had started walking the length of Hadrian’s Wall two days earlier, arrived at Sycamore Gap at around 5.20pm on Wednesday September 27 2023.
She said the weather was windy and rainy with a storm coming.
Her statement reads: “Although I had visited the tree a number of times as a child, this was the first time I had visited it for a long time.”
Ms Whysall Price said she spoke briefly to two men who were walking in the opposite direction before continuing her walk eastwards to the tree, where she took some pictures and short videos of it.
She then carried on walking the short distance to the hostel at the village of Twice Brewed.
Second day of trial begins
11:00 , Alex RossAt Newcastle Crown Court, the second day of the trial of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, accused of cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree, has just started.
It beings with a statement from a walker who took a picture of the tree hours before it was felled.
Two defendants 'were in it together', jury told
10:54Yesterday, after presenting the video allegedly showing the felling of the Sycamore Gap to the jury, prosecutor Richard Wright KC concluded: “In simple terms, Graham’s phone was right there at Sycamore Gap as the tree was being cut down, and his phone filmed the tree being cut down.
“The prosecution say whoever filmed the cutting down was as much responsible for the damage to the wall and the tree as the man wielding the chainsaw.
“They were in it together, and they were Carruthers and Graham.”
Pair's 'once close friendship has seemingly completely unravelled'
10:32 , Alex RossDuring yesterday’s opening of the case against Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, prosecutor Richard Wright KC told the jury the pair were close friends when they allegedly chopped down the Sycamore Gap tree.
But as the police investigation ensued, with the pair were both questioned, Mr Wright said their friendship appeared to fall apart with both now appearing to blame each other.
Mr Wright said: “That once close friendship has seemingly completely unravelled, perhaps as the public revulsion at their behaviour became clear to them.
“As we understand the defences, Graham, denies that he was involved in any way. His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling.
“He will say that Carruthers and another man are to blame and claim that Carruthers has admitted that to him.
“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.”
Video shown to the jury of 'tree being felled'
10:07 , Alex RossDuring yesterday’s opening, the jury was told by the prosecutor Richard Wright KC that the felling of the Sycamore Gap was recorded on Daniel Graham’s mobile phone.
Later in the hearing, a grainy video, which prosecution said showed the tree being felled, was played to the jurors.
It was a grainy video, lasting 2 minutes and 41 seconds, which showed the outline of a figure silhouetted against the stormy sky standing at the tree, which eventually creaks and falls.
Mr Wright said: “It was be a matter for you what you think this video shows.
“The prosecution suggest that the video was taken by someone holding the phone in their hand.
“It moves around and zooms in and out as the recording continues, and another person felling the tree.
Around half way through the video, the chainsaw quiets, Mr Wright said, and someone removed the wedge from the tree, before the machine starts up again and the sycamore falls.
“Two minutes and 41 seconds to cause that damage,” he said.
Friends were 'revelling' in the news of their infamy, jury told
10:01 , Alex RossProsecutor Richard Wright KC provided evidence to the jury of conversations between Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers after the Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down.
As the news broke, Mr Wright said they shared social media posts about it with each other, with Graham saying to Carruthers “here we go”.
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.”
Another voice note from Graham to Carruthers said: “Jeffrey (a name Carruthers uses) it’s gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight.”
Mr Wright 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.”
What charges do both men face over the Sycamore Gap tree
09:45Daniel Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, Cumbria, are each charged with two counts each of criminal damage – one to the tree and one to the ancient Roman-built wall which is a Unesco World Heritage Site – on September 28 2023.
The value of the damage to the tree is worth £622,191, while to the wall it was £1,144.
Timeline: How the felling of Sycamore Gap allegedly unfolded
09:31 , Alex RossAt yesterday’s opening of the case, prosecutor Richard Wright KC laid out the Crown Prosecution Service’s evidence against Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers to the jury.
He pieced together a timeline of the alleged events that led to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, and what, he said, happened after it.
Sycamore Gap timeline: How felling of iconic tree allegedly unfolded
Tree was cut down in an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage, jury told
09:27 , Alex RossAt Newcastle Crown Court, following the selection of a jury, the case was opened against Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers yesterday.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: “For over a century, and until the evening of Wednesday 27 September 2023, a Sycamore tree had stood in the Northumberland National Park.
“The tree stood in a dip, next to Hadrian’s Wall, itself a UNESCO world heritage site. Over many years the tree, and its situation, became a famous site, reproduced countless times in photographs, feature films, and art.
“This tree, that was held high in the affections of so many members of the public had come to be known as the ‘Sycamore Gap’. By sunrise on Thursday 28 th September, the tree had been deliberately felled with a chainsaw in an act of deliberate and mindless criminal damage.
“It fell onto a section of Hadrian’s Wall, causing irreparable damage to the tree itself, and further damage to the wall.
“The prosecution say that two men are responsible for that mindless vandalism, the defendants Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers.”
Friends accused of filming themselves chopping down Sycamore Gap
09:23 , Alex RossYesterday, we heard the case against Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, with the pair accused of filming themselves chopping down the famous Sycamore Gap tree before “revelling in” their infamy when news broke of the irreparable damage.
The pair are alleged to have driven from Carlisle to the Sycamore Gap to chop down the tree with a chainsaw. Prosecutors say one man cut across the trunk, causing it to fall, while the other recorded the act on a mobile phone.
They then sent messages to each other the next day about the story going “wild” and “viral”, with prosecutors saying they were “excited” about what they had done.
You can read our story on yesterday’s opening here:
Friends filmed themselves chopping down Sycamore Gap tree, jury told
What is happening today
09:20 , Alex RossAfter yesterday’s opening of the case by prosecutor Richard Wright KC, today we expect to hear more on the evidence against Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, who are both accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree.
The opening yesterday started shortly after 10am, and lasted to 1.20pm before it was adjourned until 10.30am today.
