Trial Opens for 2 Men Accused of Felling Sycamore Gap Tree

The trial for two men accused of cutting down the famous Gap Sycamore tree in northern England opened on Tuesday. The tree, a beloved milestone that was stopped by Hadrian’s wall, a Unesco World Heritage site, was found illegally cut in September 2023.

Two men, Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both of Cumbria, England, declared innocent of two charges of criminal destruction.

On Tuesday, they appeared in Newcastle Crown Court, in the northeast of England, less than an hour by car where the touches of the tree is located.

The trial had been delayed in December, because Mr. Graham was not right and could not be tried, the BBC reported. The judge said it was “highly desirable” and “strongly” in the public interest that men were judged together.

The men were accused in April 2024. At that time, the superior officer in the case, the head of detective Rebecca Fenney, asked people not to speculate online about the crime or the accused.

“We recommend the strength of feeling in the local community and advanced felling,” he said in a statement. “However, we would remind people to avoid speculation, including online, which could affect the ongoing case.”

Many had cried the destruction of the tree, an icon that was on the wall of Hadrian, which covers 73 miles and was from the Roman army in the second century.

The tree had a long leg marker and a memory manufacturer: a site of wedding proposals and memory ceremonies, a sentry in family vacation photos of a life in life, recorded to move on to the walks of the world. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” also appeared in the 1991 film.

I was almost 200 years old when it was illegally reduced.

In August, Ranger saw a few outbreaks near its base, an unexpected sign of new life, and seeds and genetic material that scientists gathered last year have also begun to grow. The National Trust intends to give 49 young people next year to spread the legacy of the tree.

That number is intentional, according to Andrew Poad, the general manager of Hadrian’s Wall, which is partly administered by the National Trust. The tree was 49 feet when it was carved. And young trees will have approximately one foot in height when they are given to their recipients.

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