Sycamore Gap felling 'bit of a laugh' - prosecutor

Two men chopped down the satellite celebrated Sycamore Gap histrion arsenic a "bit of a laugh" and past feared becoming nationalist force fig one, prosecutors person told jurors.

The histrion had grown successful a dip connected Hadrian's Wall successful Northumberland for much than 100 years earlier it was felled successful a "moronic mission" successful the aboriginal hours of 28 September 2023, Newcastle Crown Court has heard.

Daniel Michael Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton successful Cumbria, each contradict 2 counts of transgression harm relating to the histrion and the Roman Wall.

In closing speeches, prosecutors said the brace carried retired the "arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery", portion the men's barristers reiterated their innocence.

Jurors were antecedently told the histrion was a much-loved landmark and had planetary value for its presumption connected the erstwhile frontier of the Roman empire.

Mr Graham's telephone and Range Rover were some tracked going to and from the site, portion a video, which prosecutors allege shows the infinitesimal the histrion was felled, was filmed connected his mobile, the tribunal has heard.

A photograph was past taken connected Mr Graham's telephone of a wedge of wood, which prosecutors accidental was a "trophy" taken by the men, successful the footwear of his car, jurors person heard.

Both men contradict immoderate engagement astatine each with the felling and assertion they were each astatine their respective homes each night.

Mr Graham has told jurors his "best pal" Mr Carruthers admitted doing it and took his car to get to the scene, portion Mr Carruthers said helium had "no clue" who was responsible and his co-accused was lying.

In his closing speech, authoritative Richard Wright KC said the "two-man team" and "odd couple" had seen it arsenic "just a tree" and "they indispensable person thought that this was a spot of a laugh".

But, helium said, they had not appreciated the public's outrage astatine the demolition of "something truthful beauteous for nary bully reason".

"From Felixstowe to Falkirk and from Bishop Auckland to Barnstable, up and down this state and crossed the world, the absorption of each right-thinking radical to the senseless felling of the Sycamore Gap histrion has been 1 of sadness and anger," Mr Wright said.

He said the video the brace allegedly filmed of "the infinitesimal the satellite celebrated histrion was chopped down" was "gold dust" and would person "gone viral".

Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers were the lone radical successful the satellite who had that video connected their phones and who knew what had happened to the tree, Mr Wright said, and according to them it indispensable conscionable beryllium a "freak coincidence".

The authoritative said some men had told lies as, having seen the furore they caused, they did not person the courageousness to admit what they had done.

"Owning up to this arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery would marque them nationalist force fig one," Mr Wright said.

He said Mr Graham was "evasive" and "ducked questions by throwing insults oregon becoming threatening" during the trial.

Mr Wright said it was "rather odd" that Mr Graham claimed helium had not heard of the histrion until Mr Carruthers told him astir it successful 2021 erstwhile the twelvemonth earlier helium had reported a car stolen from Steel Rigg, the closest nationalist car parkland to the tree.

He said Mr Carruthers' benignant successful tribunal mightiness person been antithetic and little combative but helium had been arsenic unhelpful to jurors.

His telephone was tracked travelling to and from adjacent Sycamore Gap the day earlier the histrion was felled, which Mr Carruthers claimed was him embarking connected and past aborting a three-hour circular travel to the Metrocentre with his spouse and their new-born baby.

Mr Wright said that assertion was "nonsense" and "actually helium was going connected a recce".

The authoritative said some men "knew precisely what they were doing" and were "in the concern of cutting down large trees together".

He said they besides knew determination was a tempest coming that nighttime which would beryllium the "perfect upwind for cutting down a large tree" arsenic the upwind would person pushed the trunk distant from falling backmost connected to the saw, thereby reducing the magnitude of instrumentality needed.

Mr Wright said the lone crushed to instrumentality distant the wedge chopped retired of the histrion was arsenic a "souvenir and trophy".

The authoritative said the defendants were "best mates" and "obsessively adjacent friends" who, earlier they fell retired "spectacularly" successful the aftermath, did everything together, the "ultimate two-man team".

Messages the men exchanged successful the aftermath showed them "revelling in" what they had done, the authoritative said.

Christopher Knox, barrister for Mr Graham, said his client's presumption was that helium was not progressive astatine each and Mr Carruthers and a 2nd enigma antheral were responsible.

Mr Knox said nary "sensible reason" had been suggested for wherefore Mr Graham would privation to fell the histrion but Mr Carruthers had "some benignant of thing" for the landmark and possessed the kit and capableness to fell it.

He said it was "extraordinary" erstwhile Mr Carruthers told jurors helium thought it was "just a tree" and that whitethorn person been a hint arsenic to wherefore his client's co-accused wanted to fell it.

Mr Knox said Mr Graham admitted helium had lied to screen up for his "erstwhile precise bully friend", with the brace being "reasonably isolated figures".

Andrew Gurney, representing Mr Carruthers, said the large question everyone had was "why was the histrion chopped down", but his lawsuit could not "answer that question due to the fact that it wasn't him".

He said Mr Carruthers had "no motive" for felling the sycamore histrion and had been named by Mr Graham arsenic a "scapegoat".

Mr Gurney said the lone grounds against Mr Carruthers was a acceptable of messages, calls and a little dependable enactment betwixt him and Mr Graham, against whom the grounds was "overwhelming".

"Guilt by relation would beryllium a miscarriage of justice," Mr Gurney said, adding determination was "no evidence" of his lawsuit astatine the country oregon forensic nexus to the crime.

He said Mr Graham was "caught successful the mediate of this" and had "reached desperately for a lifeline", seeking to "throw [Mr Carruthers] nether the autobus to prevention his ain skin".

Mr Gurney said Mr Carruthers was astatine location with his spouse and 11-day aged girl that nighttime and it made "no sense" for him to beryllium "creeping astir a nationalist parkland successful the dormant of night" oregon "galivanting astir the countryside cutting down" trees.

He said determination was "no doubt" Mr Carruthers told lies to the constabulary but it was the archetypal clip helium had been successful an interrogation and helium was "nervous and scared" that admitting his acquisition with chainsaws would enactment him "in the frame".

The proceedings continues.