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What was possible motive of men who cut down famous Sycamore Gap tree?
Two men have been found guilty of cutting down the famous Sycamore Gap tree, in what a court heard was a "mindless" and "moronic" act.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found to have driven from Cumbria to the Northumberland landmark, where one of them cut down the sycamore and the other filmed it. While it has not been confirmed who did what, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court convicted both men of criminal damage to the tree and Hadrian's Wall - with the judge Mrs Justice Lambert saying they could face "a lengthy period in custody".
Here's what we know about the two men - and the possible motive for their crime. Who is Daniel Graham? The trial heard Graham, 39, lived and worked at Milbeck Stables in Carlisle, where he had a groundwork company named D M Graham Groundworks.
He occasionally cut down trees as part of his business and owned three or four chainsaws, the court was told. The jury heard he rarely socialised with anyone other than Carruthers or Lisa Shields, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship.
Graham told detectives he had trouble sleeping and would sometimes go for a drive in his campervan, saying: "I don't have plans for tomorrow, never mind the day after." During evidence, he said he had mental health issues and his father had hanged himself - which led to his close friendship with Carruthers. Graham was facing eviction after Cumberland Council had rejected his application to live in his caravan at Millbeck Stables in April 2023.
He ran his business from the caravan and neighbours objected to the "large commercial vehicles.
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
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