Overview

• Judge Celia Hughes sentenced Claire Rands to a £16,000 fine and £100,000 in prosecution costs, payable within 12 months.
• The 100-year-old lime tree in her Newport garden, protected by a Tree Preservation Order, was cut down in 2012 after she hired a tree surgeon.
• Newport City Council discovered the loss years later when an ecologist noticed the missing tree, prompting a prosecution for causing or permitting its destruction.
• On appeal, the judge ruled that Welsh law covers householders who direct removals, rejecting the defense claim that only England specifies that offence.
• Council-commissioned evidence said the felling increased the property’s value by at least £50,000, which influenced the court’s assessment of penalty.