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Second man jailed for felling Sycamore Gap tree has been released early from prison

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The second of two men who chopped down the Sycamore Gap tree has been released from prison.

Daniel Graham, 41, was sentenced to four years and three months for causing criminal damage to the famous tree beside Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, when he was jailed in July last year alongside Adam Carruthers.

Carruthers was released in April, and Graham has now also been freed on licence after serving 16 months plus his time on remand, the Mirror said.

Mrs Justice Lambert told the pair they would serve 40% of the sentence behind bars, with the remainder being served on licence in the community.

Ministry of Justice spokesman said in a statement on Monday: ‘The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was a disgraceful crime.

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EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28 Undated handout photo issued by the National Trust of Hadrian's Wall with the fenced Sycamore Gap and a view of High Shields Crag. Three years since the tree at Sycamore Gap was felled, the National Trust has shared images of a thick ring of new shoots around its stump. New growth at the site at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland stands two to three feet tall and show the benefit of keeping the area fenced off, the conservation charity has said. Issue date: Monday September 28, 2026. PA Photo. The tree was illegally felled on September 28 2023 by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers who travelled from their homes in Cumbria to cut down the much-loved sycamore during a storm. Photo credit should read: Annapurna Mellor/National Trust Images/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. — The historic tree was chopped down in the middle of the night (Picture: PA)

‘Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and can be returned to prison immediately if they breach them.’

Former friends Graham and Carruthers were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the Northumberland landscape.

They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument in September 2023.

During their trial, Newcastle Crown Court heard the two engaged in a ‘moronic mission’ to cut down the landmark.

They travelled for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carried their equipment across pitch-black moorland during a storm in September 2023.

They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered, and revelled in the media coverage as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines.

Mrs Justice Lambert was sure that Carruthers cut the tree down while Graham drove him there and filmed it on his phone.

The tree was a symbol of Northumberland and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Its destruction took less than three minutes.

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