Image source, PA Media

The Crown Prosecution Service has welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Gale Gilchrist, chief crown prosecutor at CPS North East, said the tree had stood for more than a century and been an "iconic natural landmark in the North East of England" which brought "immeasurable joy to those visiting the area".

She said: "In just under three minutes, Graham and Carruthers ended its historic legacy in a deliberate and mindless act of destruction.

"As news of their crime spread the following day, the pair exchanged messages, revelling in the public outcry they had caused.

"Thanks to an outstanding investigation on the part of our police partners, the Crown Prosecution Service was able to build a robust case against both men and bring them to trial.

"The international reaction of disapproval and anger following the destruction at Sycamore Gap illustrates how keenly the public has felt the loss of this beloved site, and we hope our community can take some measure of comfort in seeing those responsible convicted today."

Reacting to the verdict, Northumbria Police said the pair had never given an explanation for their actions, although there could "never be a justifiable one".

Supt Kevin Waring said the tree "held a special place in the hearts of many" and its destruction had been "devastating".

He said the force had carried out a "meticulous investigation", adding: "Due to the unwavering commitment of those involved in the case, today we have seen two men be found guilty of damaging not only the tree but also Hadrian's Wall."

"We often hear references made to mindless acts of vandalism – but that term has never been more relevant than today in describing the actions of those individuals.

"At no point have the two men given an explanation for why they targeted the tree – and there never could be a justifiable one."

Mr Waring said officers had "recognised the strength of feeling" across the world and thanked all those who helped "ensure those responsible have been brought to justice".

Image source, Northumbria Police.

Northumbria Police have released mugshots of the two men after they were both found guilty of two counts of criminal damage.

Daniel Graham has been remanded in custody since December, while Mr Carruthers has been out on bail in the build up to and throughout the trial.

Graham's barrister Christopher Knox said his client had been in prison for his "own protection" after "an episode" in December, and would not be making an application for bail.

The judge has retired but will return to court to consider what should be done with Carruthers shortly.

His legal team are asking for him to be granted bail again. He has been remanded into custody pending a decision by the judge.

Mrs Justice Lambert says it is "likely" the sentencing hearing will be televised.

An application has been made by the media which she will consider in due course.

She thanks the jury again, telling them: "Without people like you undertaking jury service, the system would not function."

It has now been confirmed that sentencing is being fixed for 15 July, with a whole day set aside for it.

The judge says that is subject to change if there are any delays to the reports that need to be prepared.

Mrs Justice Lambert says she will need a mental health report for Graham which will take about six weeks to prepare.

Mrs Justice Lambert says sentencing will be adjourned to enable pre-sentence reports to be written.

She thanks the jury for their "hard work", adding she did "not underestimate the amount of hard work" that had "gone into thinking about this case".

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, were each convicted of two counts of criminal damage unanimously by jurors at Newcastle Crown Court.

Prosecutors said the pair probably thought it would be a "bit of a laugh" but were too scared to admit their actions once they realised the public's anger at the "mindless thuggery".

The felling sparked international fury and outrage, the "iconic" tree having grown at the spot since the 1800s and been much-loved by many thousands of people.

Two men have been found guilty of illegally felling the world famous Sycamore Gap tree, which had stood for more than 100 years on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.

We have just been told the jury has reached verdicts.

Court is now assembling to hear what they have decided.

Image source, Nick Lewis

The trial has resumed of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, who each deny two counts of criminal damage relating to the Sycamore Gap tree and Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland.

Jurors came into courtroom one at Newcastle Crown Court at 10:08 BST only to be sent out again to resume their deliberations.

They spent four hours and 25 minutes in their closed discussions yesterday. There is no way of knowing how much longer they will need before they reach verdicts.

At the moment, they must reach unanimous decisions.

We will bring you an update when we have one.

After almost four and a half hours of deliberating, jurors are yet to reach verdicts so have been sent home for the night.

They went out to their discussion room at 11:51 BST and returned to court at about 16:15 to be told to cease their efforts for the day.

The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, thanked them for what had been a "long day I'm sure" and reminded them not to discuss the case with anyone else or do any of their own research overnight.

We will all return to Newcastle Crown Court at 10:00 tomorrow to await verdicts.

Just a reminder, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers each deny two counts of criminal damage, the first relating to the sycamore itself, the second to Hadrian's Wall which was struck by the falling tree.

Image source, Alice Whysall-Price

Alice Whysall-Price, a holidaymaker attempting to walk the length of Hadrian's Wall, took a picture of the tree at 17:20 on 27 September.

She said the weather had been awful with heavy winds and rain and a storm, Storm Agnes, forecast for the evening.

Her picture, as seen above, is believed to be the last picture of the tree intact and was shown to jurors.

In contrast, the court also saw the bodyworn footage of the first police officer to arrive at the scene the following morning.

PC Peter Borini said he arrived at about 11:30 BST on 28 September and there were already a number of people there, including park rangers who were "visibly shocked and upset".

The officer said he knew the area well and was "well aware of the importance of the tree" to the local community and visitors.

PC Borini said the tree was situated in a hollow in the land and had fallen northbound across the wall, silver spray paint having been daubed on the base before a smooth cut was made with a long-bladed chainsaw.

An experienced Forestry Commission forester, Ian Everard, said the tree had been deliberately cut to fall on to the wall and it would have been "unequivocally obvious" where it would end up.

Lee McFarlane, an inspector of ancient monuments for Historic England, said it was "fortunate" the tree was in full leaf at the time as the canopy enabled it to "come gently to rest" on top of the wall, which was a designated scheduled monument given Unesco World Heritage Site status in 1987.

A couple of the old stones were "spalled" or fractured.

Image source, Kris Hodgetts

The closest anyone got to explaining a motive was prosecutor Richard Wright KC, who said the pair had probably thought felling the tree would be "a bit of a laugh" and had totally underestimated the public's outrage.

Daniel Graham claimed Adam Carruthers had a "thing" for the tree, but Mr Carruthers denied that.

Jurors heard a lot of information about the tree and the Roman wall it was planted beside.

Tony Wilmott, a senior archaeologist for Historic England, said Sycamore Gap got its name in the 1980s from the tree in the cleft of the wall, which had been planted sometime between 1860 and 1890 by previous landowner John Clayton to be a "feature in the landscape".

The "picturesque" site had become one of the "most prominent and appreciated features" in Northumberland, a symbol of the county with an unmistakeable profile, Mr Wilmott said, a "totemic" location used for marriage proposals, family visits and the spreading of people's ashes.

"In short, the place is much loved by many thousands of people," Mr Wilmott said, adding its reputation was "spread worldwide" by its inclusion in the 1991 film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Andrew Poad, the National Trust's general manager for Northumberland coast and Hadrian's Wall, said the "iconic" tree was "world famous" and had been "unlawfully felled".

The National Trust took responsibility for it on 10 December 1942 and no-one had permission to fell it.

Jurors were told the damage to the Roman wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site, had cost £1,144 to repair with a further £6,000 in staff costs.

Image source, CPS

Prosecutors said both men were good friends at the time and worked together felling trees.

Both had sought to downplay their skills and experience with chainsaws, with Mr Carruthers' barrister telling jurors his client admitted lying but feared what police would make of him if he admitted he knew his way round a chainsaw.

On 17 August, about a month before the Sycamore Gap felling, Daniel Graham filmed a video of his "best pal" chopping up a tree, one of multiple tree trimming and felling jobs they performed together.

The pair had become close in 2021 when Mr Carruthers fixed a Land Rover which belonged to Mr Graham's dad, ensuring the vehicle was ready for the father's funeral after he took his own life.

Their friendship exploded "spectacularly" however in the aftermath of the felling when, as prosecutors said, the "public revulsion" at their actions became clear to them.

While Mr Carruthers said he had "no clue" who felled the tree, Mr Graham pointed the finger squarely at his once friend.

He said his erstwhile best mate was fascinated with the tree, treasured a piece of string he had used to measure its circumference and had mentioned chopping it down when buying a large chainsaw (all of which Mr Carruthers vehemently denied).

Mr Graham claimed he had not heard of the tree until Mr Carruthers told him about it in 2021, although went on to admit he had reported a car stolen from Steel Rigg, the car park used by visitors to the tree and whoever felled it, the previous December.

He told the court he had been walking in the area but had not known about the world famous tree nearby, and while he had seen the tree in the 1991 movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, he had not known where it was filmed.

After initially saying he did not want to "grass" on his friend, Mr Graham deliberately showed police pictures of Mr Carruthers standing next to chainsaws and, when he felt that had not adequately shifted the blame on to his pal, made an anonymous call to officers in August 2024 saying Mr Carruthers had the wedge of wood taken from the tree and the chainsaw used.

Neither of the items nor the guns Mr Graham claimed Mr Carruthers had were found when police carried out a search.

Mr Graham also told jurors Mr Carruthers asked him to take the blame as the police would be more lenient on him because of his "mental health issue", which Mr Carruthers firmly denied.

There were a couple of comments made by the men which prosecutors said proved their involvement in the felling but which the defendants offered other explanations for.

The first related to text exchanges between Adam Carruthers and his partner in the early hours of 28 September after the men had allegedly felled the tree.

His partner sent him a video of their daughter being bottle fed to which he replied: "I've got a better video than that".

Prosecutors said that was a reference to the video of the felling but Mr Carruthers told jurors he was actually talking about a short clip he had filmed of damage to their wash house roof which he was trying to fix that night.

The day after the tree was cut down, the two defendants started exchanging messages and screenshots of public reaction to the felling.

When Mr Carruthers sent him the first message, Mr Graham replied "here we go" which prosecutors said was him bracing himself with excitement for the reaction to their deed.

Mr Graham told jurors Mr Carruthers had earlier told him he had cut down the tree but Mr Graham did not believe him, and meant "here we go" as in he was preparing himself for lies and jokes from his co-accused.

Image source, CPS

In his closing speech to jurors, Adam Carruthers' barrister Andrew Gurney said the only evidence against his client came from Daniel Graham's phone and Mr Carruthers was being made a "scapegoat" by a man who was desperate to save his own skin.

It was true Mr Carruthers' phone was not tracked near the historic site that night as his co-accused's was, but both Mr Graham's team and the prosecution said there was still some telling information on it.

Firstly, messages he sent his partner showed he was not at home with her that night as he would later claim, prosecutors said.

Secondly, he had been messaging Mr Graham all day but that stopped at about 22:20 on 27 September, which prosecutor Richard Wright KC said was most plausibly explained as the men being together from then on so not needing to use their phones to talk.

The prosecutor also said it would have been an extraordinary coincidence that, minutes after Mr Graham's phone was reactivated in the early hours of 28 September, Mr Carruthers was messaging his friend again with the video being exchanged between the pair.

Mr Graham's legal team said data, captured by cell site analysis, did show Mr Carruther's phone travelling to a spot near the tree earlier that afternoon at about 17:30.

Both Mr Graham and the prosecution said that was Mr Carruthers doing a "recce", but he said that was not true.

Mr Carruthers said his partner had been practically "cut in half" 11 days previously when their daughter was born by a Caesarean section so, sick of them being all stuck inside, wanted to treat her and their child to dinner at the Metrocentre in Gateshead, some 70 miles (113km) from their Wigton home.

But they had given up on their outing at a spot that just happened to be near the tree because their child would not settle in the car, and they went home for a takeaway, he said.

When asked why he wanted to go on a three-hour round trip with his partner and new-born child on a day when storms were forecast rather than just go for something to eat in Carlisle, near where they lived, Mr Carruthers said restaurants in the Cumbria city were "not the best" and the Metrocentre was better.

Daniel Graham's phone also contained dozens of messages the two men had exchanged in the aftermath which prosecutors said showed them "revelling in" what they had done.

There were multiple screenshots of social media posts and press reports about the felling, as well as voice notes the men shared.

In one, Mr Carruthers said it was all over the news and going "wild", while Mr Graham responded it was "going viral" and "worldwide".

Mr Graham had also sent a message to his co-accused saying "not a bad angle on that stump", which prosecutors suggested was him boasting about it.

The pair also focused on a comment posted by a member of the public who said there were "weak people" in this world and the felling was "disgusting behaviour".

Both mocked the man in voice notes, with Mr Graham asking if the man knew how "heavy" equipment was, while Mr Carruthers said the man lacked the "minerals" to "launch an operation like we did last night".

When questioned about the messages, Mr Graham said he was just talking generally from his own experience of carrying lumberjack equipment while Mr Carruthers said he had meant to say "he", not "we," as in the person who carried out the act, although he did not know who that might be.

Mr Carruthers also said he was just talking to his friend about his amazement over the public's outrage about what he thought was "just a tree", saying people were reacting as if somebody had been murdered.

Image source, CPS

Also found on Daniel Graham's iPhone 13 was a photograph of a wedge of wood and chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover.

The image was taken at 02:00 on 28 September with its metadata confirming the location as the yard at his home.

Police experts said there was no doubt the car boot was that of Mr Graham's Range Rover while a forensic botanist said there was "very strong evidence" the wedge of wood had been cut out of the Sycamore Gap tree.

Prosecutor Mr Wright said the wedge had been taken as a "souvenir or trophy", but neither that nor the chainsaw pictured alongside it had been found by police.

Mr Graham repeated his claim that while his phone and car may have been involved, that did not mean he was. Someone else had taken and used both, he said.

Image source, CPS

As well as that video, Daniel Graham's phone also painted a pretty clear picture of events for investigators.

Cell site analysis tracked his phone travelling from his home in Carlisle to a point about 11 miles (17.6km) west of Sycamore Gap where, at about 23:40, it was switched off or put on airplane mode.

The phone was picked up again by the same masts at 01:28 when it must have been turned back on or had its data connection reactivated.

Similarly, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras tracked Mr Graham's Range Rover making the same journey at the same time, while headlights were captured on CCTV at the Twice Brewed Inn heading to and from Steel Rigg, the nearest public car park to the tree, at 23:55 and 01:00 (pictured above).

Mr Graham's argument was simple - yes, his car and phone were used in the felling but someone else had taken both, and he was asleep at home at the time.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the only the reason the phone was turned off was to stop it being tracked to the scene of a crime, which the mystery men Mr Graham sought to blame would not have cared one iota about.

The only person who would not want his phone tracked there was Mr Graham, the prosecutor said, meaning he must have been the one using it.