Two Men Convicted of Felling Iconic Sycamore Tree Beloved by Photographers
Two men have been convicted of criminal damage for cutting down a beloved sycamore tree in northern England that was a magnet for photographers and nature lovers alike.
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage for felling the tree and damaging the nearby landmark Hadrian’s Wall. The prosecution called it an act of “mindless thuggery,” alleging the men sought little more than the thrill of destruction.
When the tree was chopped down in September 2023, there was an outpouring of grief from the photography community. The sycamore tree sat within a dramatic dip surrounded by the crumbling Roman wall made by Emperor Hadrian making it a draw for photographers from miles around.
“Absolutely devastated to hear that someone has cut down this iconic tree,” wrote Dru Dodd at the time. “I’ve so many wonderful memories of my time throughout my photography career at Sycamore Gap.”
At trial, Graham and Carruthers denied cutting down the tree but cellphone data placed Carruthers near the tree the day before it was cut. Surveillance footage showed Graham’s vehicle near the site that night.
A video found on Graham’s phone — later enhanced by investigators — captured the sound of a chainsaw, a figure working at the tree’s base, and the crash as the trunk fell. Photos taken later that night showed a chainsaw and a wedge of the tree’s wood in Graham’s car. Prosecutors believe the piece was kept as a trophy.
In messages shared after the incident, Graham and Carruthers appeared to revel in the reaction. “It’s gone viral — it is worldwide,” Graham said in a voice note. When Carruthers’s partner sent him a clip of their five-day-old daughter, he wrote back: “I’ve got a better video than that.”
“Who would do such a thing? Why would anyone do such a thing? Take something beautiful and destroy it for no good reason,” prosecutor Richard Wright told the court.
The tree was nicknamed the “Robin Hood Tree” after it appeared in the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves that starred Kevin Costner. It was also voted English Tree of the Year in 2016.
“The needless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shocked people around the country and overseas, demonstrating the powerful connection between people and our natural heritage,” says the National Trust, England’s charity that protects historical places, in a statement.
The damage extended beyond the tree. When it fell, the trunk hit and fractured part of Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For those who visited to photograph the site, the interplay between the man-made and the natural was part of the draw.
Yet there are signs of recovery. Last summer, rangers spotted new shoots emerging from the tree’s stump, raising hopes it may regenerate. The National Trust and Northumberland National Park have also begun cultivating saplings from seeds and cuttings, distributing them across the U.K. under the banner of “trees of hope.”
Carruthers and Graham are scheduled to be sentenced on July 15, 2025. Each faces up to ten years in prison.
