Sycamore Gap tree duo do not belong in prison | Letters

As a societal idiosyncratic who wrote hundreds of pre-sentence reports earlier becoming a criminologist, and idiosyncratic who has been to situation earlier each of that, I would impulse the justice successful the lawsuit of the 2 men convicted of felling the Sycamore Gap histrion to enactment creatively and constructively (Two men recovered blameworthy of ‘mindless, moronic’ felling of Sycamore Gap tree, 9 May).

The UK sends more radical to prison, and for longer, than each different European countries. People look to deliberation that thing different than a situation condemnation is tantamount to absolving the convicted of guilt and letting them flight punishment. Community penalties restrict liberty, and compel individuals to enactment thing backmost and larn from their mistakes. Sending the 2 men to situation volition harm their respective futures and achieve little else.

Conventional mitigations that the men person shown remorse oregon penetration into their actions some look absent astatine this stage, but though locking them up mightiness beryllium popular, it would bash small much than springiness ineligible signifier to the destructive vengeful sentiments of an understandably outraged public.

A originative condemnation would situation the men to look up to what they person done, portion a custodial condemnation volition simply get escaped of them for a while. There are alternatives, and this is simply a large accidental for the justice to usage them. Doing truthful would amusement that the men’s actions tin beryllium condemned without adding needlessly to the sum of misery and destruction successful the world.
Dr Rod Earle
Senior lecturer successful younker justice, The Open University

No uncertainty this was an idiotic enactment of wanton vandalism, but let’s get a spot of proportionality here. Sycamore trees are not autochthonal to Britain, but astir apt brought present successful the 1500s. This sycamore was not peculiarly old. If the histrion was truthful “iconic”, wherefore had the section assembly failed to spot a histrion preservation bid connected it? The monetary worth placed connected the histrion successful the proceedings – £622,191 – was ridiculous. How connected world was that calculated? Based connected outrage?

How volition nine payment from a custodial condemnation for these 2 fools? Would it not beryllium much fitting for a tribunal to determine that they should works 2,000 trees each? Planting trees is loathsome, back-breaking work. Justice served and hopefully a acquisition learned.
Matt Powell
Holne, Devon

The 2 men recovered blameworthy of what is described arsenic the “mindless” and “moronic” felling of the Sycamore Gap histrion person been told by the justice that they could look “a lengthy period” successful jail.

It was so a tragedy. Yet nary developer oregon landowner has ever gone to situation for cutting down beloved and listed trees. At best, they get a slap connected the wrist oregon a paltry good acold little than the profit made. If you privation to chop down a fantastic histrion and get away with it, beryllium moneyed and mediate class. This seems to beryllium the instrumentality astatine its astir classist.
Shayne Mary Mitchell
Cambridge

If Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham tin beryllium fixed a custodial condemnation for cutting down a 150-year-old sycamore, I deliberation that the managers of the Toby Carvery who commissioned the cutting down of a 500-year-old oak should look a commensurate sentence, truthful it’s a shame that the constabulary decided that it was civilian substance and closed their probe (Felling of past London oak histrion by Toby Carvery proprietor reported to police, 15 April).
Michael Fort
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire