So, like, there’s this whole thing going on at Newcastle Crown Court, right? Basically, these two dudes, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, are in some deep trouble. They’ve been accused of messing with this super famous tree, the Sycamore Gap, and Hadrian’s Wall back in September 2023.
The tree was like a big deal in Northumberland, you know? People loved it and stuff. But then, this mobile phone footage pops up, allegedly showing the tree getting chopped down by a chainsaw. Wild, right?
The court got to watch this two-minute clip twice – once in its original, raw form, and then in a fancy enhanced version. The video was found on Graham’s phone, hidden in the download section like some secret. Amy Sutherland, this police analyst, explained how they jazzed up the footage to make it clearer. She did all this contrast and brightness stuff to bring out the details.
According to the prosecution, Graham and Carruthers sneaked out in the middle of the night during a storm and took down the tree with a chainsaw. And get this – it fell right on Hadrian’s Wall, causing some serious damage. The tree alone was worth over £600,000, while the wall got hit with a bill of £1,144. Ouch.
These two even chatted about it afterward, exchanging messages like they were discussing some random gossip. Graham was all impressed by the stump, calling it professional and whatnot. Carruthers shared some Facebook comments with Graham, talking about how the tree was taken down by someone who knew their way around big trees.
Then there were voicenotes flying back and forth between the two. Graham was going on about how the whole thing went viral and ended up on the news. Carruthers was all tough, saying he doubted some other guy had the guts to pull off what they did.
The court heard from this archaeologist guy, Tony Wilmott, who had a lot to say about the tree and the wall. He talked about how the Sycamore Gap was super important to the people in Northumberland. It was like a symbol or something, a place where people made memories.
Another archaeologist, Lee McFarlane, mentioned that even Hadrian’s Wall got messed up when the tree fell. So, it wasn’t just the tree that took a hit – the wall suffered some damage too. And get this, both the wall and the tree are owned by the National Trust.
So, yeah, that’s the drama unfolding at the court. It’s like a real-life soap opera, with chainsaws and ancient walls in the mix. Can’t wait to see how this all plays out.
