Sycamore Gap pair were quizzed in homophobia case

The 2 men convicted of chopping down the Sycamore Gap histrion were suspects successful an probe into alleged homophobic assaults that took spot astir the aforesaid clip they committed their infamous crime.

Daniel Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton, were recovered blameworthy past week of cutting down the iconic histrion astatine Hadrian's Wall connected 27 September 2023.

Nine days earlier, a antheral reported being doused successful icing sweetener and subjected to verbal maltreatment by 2 radical astatine a layby successful Cumbria often frequented by men seeking intersexual encounters.

The CPS dropped the lawsuit much than a twelvemonth later, but emails seen by the BBC corroborate constabulary prepared a record connected Graham and Carruthers for prosecutors.

Just implicit a week earlier the histrion was felled, a antheral - who the BBC has agreed not to sanction - was parked successful the layby astir 20 miles from Sycamore Gap.

"There was a sound connected my window," helium said. "I looked crossed and determination was this achromatic jeep, truthful I coiled my model down and the rider got rather homophobic with me."

A container of icing sweetener was past thrown into the man's car earlier the different conveyance was driven off.

The unfortunate said helium had reported the incidental to constabulary the aforesaid night, giving officers a statement of the conveyance and his recollection of the registration number. He was, however, incapable to place immoderate idiosyncratic involved.

The informant said helium wished constabulary had utilized his archetypal grounds to cheque CCTV astatine the time.

"They knew the date, they knew the benignant of conveyance it was, but they didn't bash anything," helium said.

Cumbria Police said checks had been carried retired utilizing the registration fig provided by the victim, but these showed the conveyance linked to that fig sheet – which differed from that of Graham's car by 1 missive – had not been successful Cumbria.

The unit added that it had been a "complex investigation" and each "evidential opportunities" had been explored.

An serviceman from Cumbria Police visited the unfortunate successful April 2024 pursuing a improvement successful the case.

Two men had been arrested successful transportation with the incidents and video grounds had been recovered connected a telephone belonging to 1 of them.

The unfortunate was asked to ticker "10 oregon 12" videos showing assorted men suffering homophobic maltreatment and, successful immoderate cases, having things thrown into their vehicles.

He said a video of different antheral victim, who helium recognised, was peculiarly upsetting: "I could spot the fearfulness successful his eyes. It was rather nasty, and it was each homophobic."

After helping constabulary place immoderate of the different men successful the videos, and confirming his ain quality successful immoderate of them, helium gave a ceremonial connection successful August 2024 but told constabulary helium could not definitively place the driver.

Cumbria Police confirmed 2 men were arrested connected suspicion of 2 assaults motivated by hate.

In December 2024 a lawsuit was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service relating to 3 victims crossed six offences.

But the CPS decided against bringing charges owed to insufficient evidence, difficulties identifying the perpetrators and excessively overmuch clip having elapsed since 1 of the incidents.

The unfortunate who spoke to the BBC says helium was abused connected 2 abstracted occasions. He decided to situation the CPS decision, which meant helium had to beryllium told the suspects' names.

In emails to the victim, seen by the BBC, detectives picture the CPS determination arsenic "disappointing" and sanction Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers arsenic the suspects.

"I knew the names were successful my caput somewhere," the unfortunate said. "I Googled it and my words were 'oh my God', I realised who they were."

Despite his appeal, the archetypal ruling not to complaint the men was upheld.

The CPS said it encouraged victims of hatred transgression to study incidents to the constabulary and that it would prosecute whenever its ineligible tests were met.

Graham and Carruthers, who are presently connected remand awaiting sentencing for cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree, person been approached for comment.