Two men have been charged over the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.
Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, have been charged with causing criminal damage to the famous tree and adjacent Hadrian’s Wall last September, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
There was national outcry in September when the much-loved, 200-year-old Northumberland tree, which stood in a dramatic dip on Hadrian’s Wall, was found to have been cut down overnight.
Gary Fothergill, specialist prosecutor for CPS North East’s Complex Casework Unit, said on Tuesday: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Northumbria Police to charge Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers with causing criminal damage after the Sycamore Gap tree was cut down last September.
“They have also been charged with causing criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall and will appear at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court on 15 May 2024.”
The tree was described as one of the most photographed in the country and was awarded Tree of the Year in 2016.
Sycamore Gap was made famous when it appeared in the 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. It has since been the feature of countless photographs and the location of memories for many Brits who visited the natural spot.
More to follow.
