Image source, PA Media

The prosecution say the "moronic mission" to fell the much-loved tree was carried out by Mr Graham and Mr Carruthers.

Mr Graham's phone and car were tracked going to and from the site and a video which purportedly shows the moment the iconic tree was felled was recorded on his mobile phone at about 00:30 on 28 September 2023 at the exact coordinates of the landmark, jurors have heard.

The tree was "irreparably damaged" while about £1,144 worth of damage was caused to stones on the Roman Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

A wedge of wood was taken from the trunk as a "trophy" and photographed a short while later in the boot of Mr Graham's Range Rover next to a chainsaw - neither the wood or tool have been found by police.

Prosecutors say both men knew how to fell trees and in the aftermath exchanged messages in which they appeared to be "revelling in" the public outrage.

They had once been good friends but that friendship unravelled as the "public revulsion" became clear, prosecutor Richard Wright KC has said.

Both men deny their involvement, with Mr Graham saying he was being framed as part of a feud and claiming Mr Carruthers admitted felling the tree.

Mr Carruthers is yet to give evidence but, in his police interview, he said he did not have the training to use a chainsaw or fell a large tree.

Image source, PA Media

The second week of the Sycamore Gap trial is beginning at Newcastle Crown Court imminently.

On the night of 27 September 2023, the world famous sycamore tree that stood in a dip along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland was illegally felled, causing international outrage.

Daniel Graham 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, each deny two counts of criminal damage relating to the tree and the Roman Wall, several stones of which were fractured when the trunk collapsed on to them.

You can find a detailed recap of what happened in the trial last week here, and can catch up with the live updates from across the week here.