Man accused of Sycamore Gap felling tells jurors he thought it was ‘just a tree’

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, are accused of felling the landmark during a "moronic mission" in the early hours of September 28 2023.

The century old tree landed on Hadrian's Wall after it was felled with a chainsaw and damaged the Roman structure.

On his first day in the witness box Carruthers denied cutting down the tree or recording the felling. But he told the court he could not understand the huge amount of publicity that followed the tree being cut down.

Carruthers told jurors: "The morning I woke up I had a look online, it was all over Facebook and I was thinking 'whats going on here' do you know what I mean, it was everywhere.

"My understanding was it was just a tree and I couldn't understand why everyone was sharing it, every second post it was about the tree and I couldn't get my head around it."

Carruthers said the widespread news coverage of the tree being felled was "almost as if someone had been murdered".

He added: "I just couldn't understand how a tree would be able to hit the headlines as much as it did."

Groundworks boss Graham, of Millbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Carruthers, of Church Street, Wigton, who worked in property maintenance and mechanics, each deny two charges of damaging property in relation to the tree and Hadrian's Wall, which it fell on and are being tried by a jury.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC told the court the tree had stood for over a century, during which it became a famous site, reproduced countless times in photographs, films and art.

Both men deny all charges - the trial continues.

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