Trial date set for Sycamore Gap tree accused

David Graham and Adam Carruthers will go before a jury in April accused of felling the famous tree.

The felled tree at Sycamore Gap, next to Hadrian’s Wall, in Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Archive)

A trial date has been set for two men accused of felling the famous Sycamore Gap tree.

Daniel Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, Cumbria, will go before a jury for a 10-day trial beginning on April 28 at Newcastle Crown Court.

Mrs Justice Lambert, at a short pre-trial hearing at the same court on Monday, confirmed the trial date.

No other matters can be reported ahead of the trial.

The defendants are jointly charged with causing criminal damage worth £622,191 to the much-photographed Northumberland tree.

They are also charged with causing £1,144 of damage to Hadrian’s Wall, a Unesco World Heritage Site, which was hit by the tree when it was felled overnight on September 28 2023.

Both belong to the National Trust.