Daniel Graham, the second of two men convicted of felling the Sycamore Gap tree, has been released from prison. The 41-year-old was jailed for four years and three months for causing criminal damage to the iconic tree beside Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, alongside Adam Carruthers in July last year.
Release on licence
Carruthers was freed in April, and Graham has now also been released on licence after serving 16 months, plus time spent on remand, as first reported by The Mirror. Mrs Justice Lambert told the pair they would serve 40% of their sentence behind bars, with the remainder to be completed on licence in the community.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said in a statement on Monday: "The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was a disgraceful crime. Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and can be returned to prison immediately if they breach them."
Crime details
Former friends Graham and Carruthers were found guilty of causing criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years nestled within the Northumberland landscape. Both men were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian's Wall, sustained when the sycamore toppled onto the ancient monument in September 2023.
Newcastle Crown Court heard during the trial how the pair embarked on a "moronic mission" to fell the iconic tree, travelling over 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria before trudging through pitch-black moorland in the midst of a storm in September 2023.
Impact and aftermath
The duo took a wedge from the tree as a keepsake that has never been found, and wallowed in the media attention as news of the destruction made headlines both nationally and internationally. Mrs Justice Lambert was satisfied that Carruthers felled the tree while Graham drove him to the scene and captured the act on his mobile phone.
The tree stood as a symbol of Northumberland and had featured prominently in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Its destruction took less than three minutes.
