Sycamore Gap: Destruction of a World Famous Tree

 

Introduction

Yesterday, a jury determined that the >100 year old Sycamore Tree (above) was illegally felled by  two men (Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham) in 2023 at night and during a fierce storm for reasons which remain obscure.


More Information

The digital trail left by a cellphone during the night  Sept 27th/28th 2023 enabled the police to prove culpability of the above two persons. Bizarrely, the tree's destruction was actually filmed by the two on a cellphone, albeit in the middle of the night.

Over the years the tree had been taken to the hearts of many people both in Britain and around the world. It has featured in a Hollywood film and been a favourite location for marriage proposals and scattering of funereal ashes. Landscape photographers will miss it also.

On the plus side, the residual trunk is not dead with green shoots appearing. Cuttings have been taken for planting around the country to ensure continuity for future generations.

The two guilty individuals are now being held in jail pending a decision by the judge on an appropriate period of incarceration-which could be up to ten years each. That is the penalty for criminal damage which in this case comprises GBP622,191 for the tree and GBP1,144 in respect of the damage to the adjacent Hadrian's Wall from the Roman era. 

More information on both Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall (Scotland) can be found in Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This publication is also available via Kindle. 

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