Overview

• A jury at Newcastle Crown Court convicted a 32-year-old and a 39-year-old man for the deliberate felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in September 2023.
• The act caused approximately €730,000 in damages, including harm to the adjacent Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Prosecutors described the crime as senseless vandalism, with one defendant using a chainsaw to cut down the tree while the other filmed the act.
• The Sycamore Gap tree, over 100 years old, was an iconic cultural landmark featured in films, photographs, and artworks.
• Sentencing for the convicted men has not yet been scheduled, following widespread public outrage over the incident.