Man pleads not guilty to felling one of the UK's most famous trees May 16, 2024

Daniel Graham (right) and Adam Carruthers (left) are charged with criminal damage to the tree and Hadrian's Wall (Paul ELLIS)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Man pleads not guilty to felling one of the UK's most famous trees

A 38-year-old man denied on Wednesday having committed criminal damage after one of the UK's most beloved and photographed trees was found felled next to Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Daniel Graham pleaded not guilty to causing £622,191 (US$786,657) worth of damage to the Sycamore Gap tree, which had stood for more than 200 years in the Northumberland National Park.

The tree, located in a dramatic depression in the landscape and which appeared in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, was found felled in September last year, causing national outrage.

Graham also denied causing £1,144 worth of damage to Hadrian's Wall, the ancient Roman fortification that stretches 118 kilometers from the northwest to the northeast of England.

He appeared in court in Newcastle upon Tyne with Adam Carruthers, 31, who pleaded not guilty to the same charges. Both wore balaclavas to conceal their identities as they arrived and left the court.

Both were released on unconditional bail until a new hearing on June 12.

The tree, which was a symbol of the north-east of England, won the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year award in 2016 and was a major attraction photographed by millions of visitors over the years.

It was found toppled after storms, with white paint marks on its stump, as if it had been cut down cleanly, AFP reporters on the scene said at the time.

Efforts are now being made to see if the tree can grow again from its trunk or seedlings.

Hadrian's Wall was begun in 122 AD, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, and marked the border between Roman Britannia and unconquered Caledonia to the north.

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