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The tree was not Britain’s biggest or oldest, but it was prized
for its picturesque setting along the ancient wall built by
Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of
the Roman Empire and had attracted generations of followers.
The tree was known to locals but became received international
attention in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of
Thieves.” It sat symmetrically between two hills along the wall
and was a draw for tourists, landscape photographers and people
snapping selfies for social media.
“For over a century, Sycamore Gap has been an iconic natural
landmark in the northeast of England, bringing immeasurable joy
to those visiting the area," Gale Gilchrist, chief prosecutor
for the region, said in a statement after the verdict. “In just
under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic
legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.”
Jurors deliberated about four hours on Thursday and reached a
verdict after meeting less than 30 minutes Friday morning.
Neither defendant showed any visible reaction as the verdicts
were read. Sentencing was scheduled for July 15.
The defendants, once close friends, both testified that they had
nothing to do with cutting down the tree. Graham pointed the
finger at Carruthers.
But prosecutors played video from Graham’s phone of the tree
being cut down and showed that his Range Rover had traveled
toward the tree the night it was cut down in September 2023.
Text and voice messages were shown to the jury of the two men
boasting of the act the next day as news of the tree’s demise
spread around the world.
Prosecutor Richard Wright told jurors in his closing argument
that the men cut the tree down for “a bit of a laugh” in the
dark of night during a blustery storm on Sept. 28, 2023, but had
failed to realize the anger they would spark in the “arboreal
equivalent of mindless thuggery.”
Prosecutors said the tree was valued at more than 620,000 pounds
(around $830,000) and damage to the wall was estimated at 1,100
pounds (nearly $1,500).
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