LONDON — Two friends have been charged with cutting down a well-loved tree, the Sycamore Gap tree, just for fun. In court, the prosecutor, Richard Wright, explained that their actions were silly and cruel. “They thought it would be funny, but instead, everyone is upset with them,” he said.
The men, Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, say they didn’t do it and are not guilty. They claimed they were home during the crime on September 28, 2023. However, prosecutors showed a blurry video from Graham’s phone that clearly showed the tree being cut down that night, along with messages between the two men celebrating what they did.
The tree was important and worth over £620,000. Cutting it down also damaged a famous wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Graham tried to say Carruthers and another man were the ones who did it but prosecutors think he is just blaming others.
Carruthers said he doesn’t understand why everyone is so upset because “it was just a tree.” But the prosecutor showed proof that the two were very connected to the crime, like a video showing wood and a chainsaw in Graham’s car. Jurors will start deciding their fate soon.
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