Summary

Watch: Judge tells pair that cutting down Sycamore Gap tree "gave you a thrill"

Live Reporting

Edited by Francesca Williams and Julie Cush, with reporting from Duncan Leatherdale and Evie Lake, and Fiona Trott and Erica Witherington in court

  1. What was the key evidence against the men?

    A large semi-circular block of wood sits next to a grey and orange chainsaw in a car bootCPS

    The two-week long trial in May heard a lot of evidence gathered by prosecutors which they said proved the men carried out the "moronic mission" in the early hours of 28 September 2023.

    Key details included:

    • Daniel Graham's car and phone were tracked going to and from the site on the night
    • A video of the felling was recorded on Graham's phone and sent to Carruthers, with its metadata proving it was filmed at the exact location of the tree shortly after midnight
    • A picture of a wedge of wood taken from the tree as a "trophy" was photographed on Graham's phone in the back of his Range Rover (pictured above)
    • Though it was never found, experts said the had almost certainly come from the Sycamore Gap tree
    • Both men exchanged multiple messages in the aftermath reacting to the public's outraged response
    • In one voice note, Carruthers described it as an "operation" they had carried out
    • Carruthers' phone was tracked going near the tree earlier in the day which prosecutors said was a "recce"
    • The men were best friends, did everything together and were both experienced at felling trees with chainsaws

  2. Journalists queuing outside the courtroom

    Fiona Trott
    North of England correspondent

    There are 27 people waiting on the third floor outside the courtroom, many of them trying the door to see if they can get in.

    The rule for journalists is first come, first served. We have been queuing outside since 08:00 BST to make sure our name was on the list.

    Inside court, there is a separate area for members of the public.

    If there are any spare seats, journalists can sit there. But today that seems unlikely.

  3. An illustrated guide to today's hearing

    A tablet with a sketch of Graham and Carruthers across which a white pencil has been laid. Next to it is a pencil sketch of Carruthers on a piece of paper.Nick Lewis/University of Sunderland

    Thanks to sketch artist Nick Lewis, a University of Sunderland lecturer who attended the trial, we can show you some of the key legal players we expect to hear from in today's sentencing hearing.

    The judge is Mrs Justice Lambert (below), a High Court judge who has presided over a number of high profile trials including that of the murder of Nikki Allan, whose killing in Sunderland in 1992 went unsolved for 30 years.

    A painted digital sketch of Mrs Justice Lambert presiding over her court room. She has glasses and a cream wig and is wearing black and red robes.Nick Lewis/University of Sunderland

    The prosecution are represented by Richard Wright KC, pictured below standing, and Rebecca Brown who is sitting next to him.

    Prosecutor Richard Wright KC stands in a black robe and cream wig gesticulating with his glasses. Rebecca Brown is sitting next to him wearing a black gown and cream wigNick Lewis/University of Sunderland

    The court will also hear from barristers for the two defendants.

    Daniel Graham is represented by Christopher Knox, pictured below seated, while Adam Carruthers is represented by Andrew Gurney, who is standing next to Mr Knox.

    Andrew Gurney, who has a neat dark beard and is wearing a cream wig and black robes stands holding a folder to his chest next to Christopher Knox, who is seated and had glasses and a cream wig. A row of computer screens are in front of them.Nick Lewis/University of Sunderland

    And to give you an idea of the layout of courtroom one at Newcastle Crown Court and where everyone fits in, here is one of Mr Lewis' wider sketches.

    A wide view of the court room with the two defendants in the dock on the left, two rows of barristers and computer screens, the jury against the far wall and the judge in her red robes on a raised bench on the rightNick Lewis/University of Sunderland

  4. What sentence could they get?

    Jonny Manning
    BBC News, North East and Cumbria

    The tree lying down across the stone wall.PA Media

    Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers are to be sentenced for two counts of criminal damage each relating to the tree and Hadrian's Wall.

    Those found guilty of criminal damage with a value of more than £5,000 can face a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, according to the Sentencing Council, which promotes transparency and consistency in criminal sentencing.

    However, longer prison terms are only considered when the guilty party is found to have a high level of culpability and their actions caused serious distress and harm.

    Sentences for less serious cases can involve fines or community orders.

    It will be the decision of the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, to weigh up all the factors when she delivers her sentence later today.

  5. How we expect today to work

    An imposing court building made from red stone and columns with large dark windows reflected in a river running in front of it

    The sentencing is taking place in courtroom one at Newcastle Crown Court, on the north bank of the Tyne.

    The hearing is due to start at 11:00 BST, although there is always a chance things will be delayed.

    In the morning, it is expected the barristers for the prosecution and defence will make their submissions to the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, referring to sentencing guidelines and aggravating and mitigating features that they believe she should take into account when determining the sentence.

    We may also hear victim impact statements from the likes of the National Trust, which had cared for the tree since the 1940s.

    Court should break for lunch and then resume at about 14:00 BST with the judge giving her sentencing remarks, ending with the passing down of the actual sentences.

  6. What was the Sycamore Gap tree?

    A still from Robin Hood film with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman in medieval costumes talking to a young boy, who is wearing brown clothes, standing next to the threeWarner Bros/Kevin Reynolds

    The single sycamore tree grew in a natural dip in the countryside along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, close to the village of Once Brewed.

    The National Trust, which looks after the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority, said it was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton to be a "feature in the landscape".

    While a popular spot for walkers and photographers due to its unusual setting, it became famous after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner (see above).

    The Northumberland National Park Authority said the site was its "most-photographed spot", and in late 2016 it was crowned English Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust's awards.

  7. Who are Graham and Carruthers?

    Graham who has a short ginger beard and is wearing a black polo shirt and baseball cap, takes a selfie as Carruthers, with short blond hair and wearing a grey t-shirt and sunglasses, cuts at a tree with a chainsawCPS

    Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were best friends before they fell out spectacularly in the aftermath of the felling.

    The pair from Cumbria met in 2021 when Carruthers, a mechanic, fixed Graham's father's Land Rover.

    Graham, of Milbeck Stables near Carlisle, would often enlist Carruthers, who lived on an old airfield at Kirkbride, to help him carry out work for his groundworks business, including chopping up trees with chainsaws.

    Graham, whose mobile phone and Range Rover were tracked going to and from the Sycamore Gap tree site, claimed he had been home alone in his caravan all night while his friend Carruthers must have taken his vehicle and felled the tree with someone else.

    He also claimed Carruthers was obsessed with the tree and alleged his co-accused once showed him a piece of rope which had been used to measure the trunk's circumference, a claim Carruthers strenuously denied.

    Carruthers, whose phone was tracked going near the tree earlier in the day for a suspected recce, said he did not know who chopped the tree down and the messages the men exchanged discussing the felling afterwards were just the natural chat of two men interested in a global news event.

  8. Quick recap of the trial

    Watch the moment Sycamore Gap tree appears to have been felled

    The men had denied all wrongdoing but were found guilty of the "moronic mission" after about five hours of deliberation by jurors in May.

    Among the evidence shown was the video the pair filmed of the moment the iconic tree was brought down (see above).

    They were each convicted of two counts of criminal damage, one relating to the tree and the other to Hadrian's Wall itself after several stones were damaged by the falling trunk.

    Prosecutors said the pair carried out the "mindless thuggery" as a "bit of a laugh" but, when they realised the public's fury, they were too cowardly to confess.

  9. Sycamore Gap vandals await their sentence

    Mugshots of the two men. Daniel Graham has scruffy short dark hair and a beard and Adam Carruthers has ginger stubble and short fair hairNorthumbria Police

    Two men are due to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court today for the illegal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.

    Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, chopped down the much-loved landmark, which had stood in a dip by Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland for more than 100 years, in the early hours of 28 September 2023.

    One of the men brought the world-famous feature down with a chainsaw while the other filmed it on a mobile phone.

    They then took a wedge of the trunk away with them as a "trophy", prosecutors said, and messages they exchanged in the aftermath showed them "revelling" in the outrage they had caused.