LONDON — More than 200 days after an old and beloved sycamore near Hadrian’s Wall was cut down in an overnight act of vandalism, British police announced they have charged two men in the crime.
The men were named Tuesday by the Crown Prosecution Service as Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from the Carlisle area of northwest England, not far from where the tree stood in Northumberland. Both face charges of criminal damage to the tree.
The charges could bring some resolution to a case that had provoked local anguish and international condemnation. But the news this week didn’t answer a central mystery in the case: Why? Police have not offered any motive for the crime.
The Sycamore Gap tree, as it was known, towered almost 50 feet above the ground and flourished picturesquely in a dip between two rolling hills.
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Thought to be about 150 years old, the tree was a staple part of the scenic greenery of England’s Northumberland National Park. It also enjoyed international fame, featuring in the 1991 Kevin Costner movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” In 2016, it was honored as England’s Tree of the Year.
“There has been an ongoing investigation since the Sycamore Gap tree was cut down,” Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney of the Northumbria Police said in a statement. “As a result of those enquiries, two men have now been charged.”
“We recognize the strength of feeling in the local community and further afield the felling has caused, however we would remind people to avoid speculation, including online, which could impact the ongoing case,” Fenney added.
The Sycamore Gap tree was planted in the late 1800s next to a portion of Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The historic 73-mile rock barrier, built in A.D. 122 by Emperor Hadrian, once marked the northernmost border of the Roman Empire’s province of Britannia.
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Overnight on Sept. 27, the Sycamore Gap tree was reduced to a stump — chopped down in what police called a “deliberate act of vandalism.” Images showed the severed tree toppled over, with part of its trunk resting on the rock wall. Graham and Carruthers have also been charged with criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall.
There are shoots of hope, however.
In March, scientists in England said they had salvaged seeds and cuttings from the felled tree and were working on cultivating new plants — a rebirth of the venerable tree.
According to Northumberland National Park, the tree was “one of the most photographed in the country.” It was also the site of marriage proposals, family picnics and the dispersal of loved ones’ ashes, according to the area’s mayor, Jamie Driscoll, who called it “part of our collective soul.”
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The national park and the National Trust, a heritage conservation charity, said earlier this year that they have been working to “ensure a fitting legacy for both nature and people following this act of vandalism.” They added that the public response had been “nothing short of overwhelming, with over 2,000 heartfelt messages pouring in from every corner of the country, and overseas.”
“The original tree stump remains in situ, in the hope it will regrow in time,” the park said in a statement. Parts of the felled tree have also been “carefully cut,” and the park is taking advice from specialists in woodwork and wood preservation so that parts may be “repurposed in the future by artists, in collaboration with the public.”
“The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree has shown just how much nature and landscape mean to people, to their very well-being,” Tony Gates, CEO of the Northumberland National Park Authority, said in a March statement.
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“As stewards of the legacy of Sycamore Gap, the partners have been humbled by the outpouring of love and emotion for the tree,” he added. “We are determined to honor the spirit of Sycamore Gap through opportunities to connect with the tree, and to create a legacy for both people and nature.”
Both Graham and Carruthers were arrested in October but released on bail, police said. A man in his 60s and a teenage boy were previously arrested but let go without facing further action.
Graham and Carruthers will appear at Newcastle Magistrates Court on May 15, police added.
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