Erica Witherington
Reporting from Newcastle Crown Court

Mr Knox is standing with one hand in his pocket and a sheaf of papers in the other.

He peers at a piece of evidence on the screen in front of him, then back up at Adam Carruthers on the stand.

Occasionally he leans and rests his weight on the bench, as he puts his suggestions to the defendant.

The members of the jury have a screen between each two of them as they follow along, examining the maps and images being put in front of them.

Mr Knox is now pressing Mr Carruthers about taking Mr Graham's Range Rover that night, which Mr Carruthers resolutely denies doing.

"My question is, who did you have with you?" Mr Knox asks.

Mr Carruthers replies: "I don’t know because I wasn't there."

Mr Knox says: "It was you and another?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "That’s not correct because I wasn’t there."

He also says it "isn't correct" that he used Mr Graham's mobile phone, adding he did not know the passcode.

Mr Knox says Mr Carruthers' claims are "complete and total nonsense", but Mr Carruthers repeatedly replies: "Not at all."

Erica Witherington
Reporting from Newcastle Crown Court

The afternoon session got going with Adam Carruthers in the witness stand of court room number one, taking questions from Christopher Knox, the barrister of his co-defendant Daniel Graham.

The public gallery is just about full.

The solemnity of this court arena can be felt by all - people were talking amongst themselves in hushed voices as we waited for proceedings to continue.

The usher announced "court rise" and everyone got to their feet as Mrs Justice Lambert entered and took her place on the bench.

The jury then filed in and filled their seats directly opposite the witness stand, where they have a clear view of Mr Carruthers.

Discussion turns to the mobile phones Mr Carruthers had.

Mr Knox alleges he had two phones - an older Samsung which he handed to police and a newer iPhone which Mr Carruthers managed "to avoid the police finding".

Mr Carruthers says that is not correct and he lost the phone, adding: "If I knew where I lost it, I'd go and find it because there are pictures on there of when my child were born, it's sentimental."

He says he did have two phones, the "tougher" Samsung he used for work and an iPhone which he kept at home until he lost it.

Mr Carruthers says the Samsung was his "main" phone and he gave it to the police.

Mr Knox is now showing phone tracking data which he claims shows Mr Carruthers' phone was picked up heading close to Haydon Bridge, which was not far from the tree, at about 17:30.

He says Mr Carruthers was "doing a reconnoitre" of the tree, but Mr Carruthers says he could not recall leaving Cumbria that day.

He says his partner was still recovering from the Caesarean birth of their daughter so he offered to take her for a meal in Newcastle but, when their child failed to settle in the car, they turned round to go back to Carlisle for a takeaway.

Mr Knox says: "You didn't tell the police this but you tell the jury now, in spite of the fact [your partner] wasn't well enough to lift a baby or anything, you were going to go 65 miles with a newborn?"

"Yeah that's correct." Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Knox asks if it was just coincidence, then, that they turned around at a point about four miles from the tree on "the very night you cut it down".

Mr Carruthers says: "That's incorrect."

Mr Knox accuses Mr Carruthers of "having a thing" about the tree.

"Not at all," Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Graham claimed Mr Carruthers showed him a piece of string that had been used to measure the exact circumference of the tree.

When asked about the string by Mr Knox, Mr Carruthers replies: "I don’t know anything about this piece of rope."

Mr Knox asks if Mr Graham is telling a "completely untrue tale" about the string, to which Mr Carruthers replies: "It seems that way."

Mr Knox says people are mystified about why the tree was felled but Mr Carruthers "had a purpose", namely he "had a thing about the tree?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "Not at all."

Now Mr Carruthers is being shown a picture of his lorry being used as an anchor to hold a tree which was in the process of being felled.

He confirms it is his lorry but denies they were cutting down the trees. He says the plan was to use the lorry to pull down the trees, which had been condemned, but the ground was too soft for it.

"The truth is you were good at felling trees?" Mr Knox says.

Mr Carruthers answers: "I did do the small bit because I wasn't comfortable doing larger jobs."

"You used your own kit didn't you? You had the kit?" Mr Knox says.

"That's not correct," Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Knox says Mr Carruthers was "adept with a chainsaw" and owned several which were captured in a photo of him holding owls.

"That's not correct," Mr Carruthers says.

Mr Knox says Mr Carruthers got rid of them but Mr Carruthers replies: "Not at all."

Mr Knox also shows two very short video clips, from which the previous picture had been taken as a still, showing Mr Carruthers cutting at a tree.

"That was you up in a cherry-picker?" Mr Knox asks.

Mr Carruthers replies: "That's correct."

Mr Knox says Mr Carruthers arranged to borrow the cherry-picker from a friend to chop down an ash tree that had a court order requiring it to be felled, which Mr Carruthers confirms.

"This was proper chainsaw work, cutting down a big tree?" Mr Knox asks.

Mr Carruthers says that is correct.

Mr Knox says: "You really couldn't remember this was the time you had been cutting trees down when you gave that account to police?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "No, its just your mind goes blank when you're in a situation like that."

Mr Knox says: "You were deliberately trying to give police a false impression weren't you?"

"Not at all," Mr Carruthers replies.

Image source, CPS

The trial has resumed with Adam Carruthers, 32, in the witness box being cross-examined by Christopher Knox, the barrister for his co-accused Daniel Graham.

The first question after the break relates to Mr Carruthers reportedly telling the police on 31 October 2023 it would have been "months ago", probably at the start of summer, when he last used a chainsaw.

"That was perfectly totally untrue, wasn't it?" Mr Knox says, prompting Mr Carruthers to reply: "No that was correct."

Mr Knox shows him a picture (as above) of him using a chainsaw taken on 17 August and asks him again if he was lying to police.

Mr Carruthers says he believed what he was saying at the time to police was correct, adding: "I was pulled in for something I hadn't done, I was thinking 'what's going on'.

"There's all sorts of thoughts going on in your head, your mind goes blank."

Jurors have heard from both defendants this morning.

The day started with Daniel Graham, who became increasingly frustrated with prosecutor Richard Wright KC asking him questions about what he told police and when he allegedly knew Mr Carruthers was responsible for felling the tree.

Then, at about noon, Mr Carruthers entered the witness box where, under questioning by his barrister Andrew Gurney, he began by denying having any involvement in the felling.

Over the course of about an hour leading up to the lunch break, Mr Carruthers remained calm as he detailed his friendship with Mr Graham and his amazement at the world's reaction to the chopping down of what he thought was just a tree.

The morning session ended with him being asked about his ownership of chainsaws - which he denies having - by Mr Graham's barrister Christopher Knox.

Court should resume shortly after 14:00.

The morning has ended with Adam Carruthers still being grilled about his knowledge of chainsaws by Mr Knox, barrister for the co-accused Daniel Graham.

Mr Carruthers says he knows how chainsaws "operate" as they have "internal combustion engines" which he has an interest in.

Mr Knox asks Mr Carruthers to give him the names of anyone else at the business where he worked who could mend chainsaws.

Mr Carruthers says it "all depends on the complexity of the job" but names three people.

"I'm not the only person who repairs chainsaws," Mr Carruthers says, adding: "You can probably take them into the chainsaw dealership."

Court has now broken for lunch.

Mr Gurney has finished his examination after about half an hour and attention now turns to Christopher Knox, the barrister for Daniel Graham.

Mr Knox is asking Mr Carruthers what access he had to tools and equipment at his workplace.

"You used chainsaws there didn't you?" he asks.

"That's incorrect," Mr Carruthers replies.

Image source, CPS

Mr Knox says chainsaws can be seen in pictures taken of Mr Carruthers and some owls (above).

Mr Knox alleges those were Mr Carruthers' chainsaws, to which Mr Carruthers replies that is "incorrect" and the equipment belonged to customers who had dropped them off to be repaired.

Mr Carruthers says a landscape gardener had dropped off a load of broken chainsaws for his boss to sort through to see if any could be salvaged.

Image source, CPS

Mr Gurney is asking Mr Carruthers why he sent Mr Graham a voice note the following day in which he talked about someone lacking the "minerals" to "launch an operation like we did last night".

"I think its been interpreted wrong because it's meant to be launch an operation like what he did, as in the person who done the job," Mr Graham says, adding: "I might sound sexist saying it's a man but I'd have thought it wouldn't be a woman who had done it."

He says he has "no idea" who had actually done it.

Mr Carruthers is asked why he said in another message the response was going "wild".

"I really couldn't get my head around it," Mr Carruthers tells jurors, adding: "How it was a tree at the end of the day, it was going to be on the news.

"I didn't understand how a tree would be able to hit the headlines as much as it did."

He says he was just messaging a friend and "couldn't understand why there had been such a major outbreak, it was almost as if someone had been murdered."

The court has heard Mr Carruthers' partner sent him a video that night of her bottle-feeding their newborn baby daughter.

Mr Carruthers sent a reply in which he said had a "better video than that" to show her, which prosecutors allege was the film of the tree being felled.

Mr Gurney asks what Mr Carruthers actually meant with that message.

Mr Carruthers says earlier that night the roof on his washing shed was damaged and he had made a video of it. Sentimental items such as clothes had been damaged by water coming in through the partially-blown off roof.

His partner had replied "I bet" and he replied "you know the score", jurors heard.

Mr Gurney asks Mr Carruthers what he meant by "you know the score".

He said the video he was talking about was the damage to the shed, adding "it wasn't the best of nights really".

Mr Gurney asks: "Were you referring to the video of the Sycamore Gap tree being felled?"

"No," Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Carruthers is now being asked about where he was on the night of 27 September 2023.

He tells jurors he was at his home at an airfield near Wigton in Cumbria.

Prosecutors have said messages he sent to his partner showed he was not at home, but Mr Carruthers says he was out in the yard and she was inside.

"Did you leave [your home] that evening?" Mr Gurney asks.

"Not as far as I can remember no," Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Gurney asks: "Did you see Daniel Graham that evening?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "No."

Mr Carruthers is now being asked why he shared so many snapshots of social media posts and media reports about the felling with his co-accused the morning afterwards.

He says he woke up to find the news "all over Facebook", adding it was "everywhere".

He says: "My understanding was it was just a tree.

"I couldn't understand why everyone was sharing it. It was like every second post was about this tree, I just couldn’t get my head around it.

"The way it was travelling through the news, I was amazed how something so small could create so much publicity."

Mr Gurney asks: "Did you have a fixation on that tree?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "No, not at all."

Mr Gurney asks Mr Carruthers if he was responsible for cutting down the tree.

"Never," Mr Carruthers replies.

He is asked if he ever, as Mr Graham claims, showed his co-accused a piece of string said to be cut to the length of the circumference of the tree.

"Never," Mr Carruthers replies.

Mr Gurney asks Mr Carruthers if he ever asked Mr Graham to "take the blame" for felling the tree.

"Never," Mr Carruthers again replies.

Mr Graham has told jurors Mr Carruthers took his Range Rover and phone to cut down the tree.

Mr Carruthers tells them he only drove the Range Rover once to help Mr Graham with a job moving equipment in the days after the felling.

He also says he never used his co-accused's mobile phone and did not know the pin code.

"Did you take his phone and record the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree?" Mr Gurney asks.

"That’s incorrect," Mr Carruthers says.

Mr Carruthers is asked why the men's friendship ended.

He says Mr Graham arrived at his yard one night and said: "I'm going to go my way, you're going to go your way, I believe you’ve been grassing on me."

Mr Carruthers is asked what Mr Graham meant, to which he replies: "I'm probably guessing it's something to do with why I'm stood here now. Sycamore Gap."

Mr Gurney asks: "Did you ever grass him up?"

Mr Carruthers replies: "Not at all."

Mr Gurney asks Mr Carruthers how many times he and Mr Graham trimmed trees together.

Mr Carruthers isn't sure but says "maybe five or six", and says he offered to help his friend, with the pay for the job being halved between the men.

"We would basically, like, get on the tree, cut some branches off, get it to a state where it could be chopped down."

He says he was "not sure" where the equipment they used came from, adding the tools were "already there" when he arrived at the job and he did not supply them.

When asked if he knows how to use a chainsaw, Mr Carruthers says: "I know briefly how to use a chainsaw.

"I wouldn't say I'm a chainsaw expert. Within a couple of minutes you could teach anyone how to use one.

"It's just the dangers that surround them."

Mr Carruthers tells jurors he has never felled a tree.