LONDON (AP) 鈥 There is a hole in the heart of the rolling hills of northern England.
A tree that once sat symmetrically between two hills along Hadrian’s Wall was mysteriously felled more than a year-and-a-half ago, causing disbelief and distress for those who considered it an almost sacred site.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still devastated by it,鈥 said Catherine Cape, who runs a small guest cabin nearby. “I can鈥檛 drive past it. ... I just don鈥檛 like looking at the space there.鈥
Cape will be among those paying attention this week when prosecutors in Newcastle Crown Court begin presenting their case Monday against two men accused of toppling the famous Sycamore Gap tree and damaging the ancient wall.
Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, have pleaded not guilty to two counts each of criminal damage. Prosecutors said the value of the tree exceeded 620,000 pounds ($826,000) and damage to the wall was assessed at 1,100 pounds ($1,466).
The two-week trial, originally scheduled to start in December, was postponed because Graham was ill.
Prosecutors haven’t said what evidence they have or what inspired the suspects to chop down the revered tree.
A criminal prosecution for cutting down a tree is rare and the potential for any prison time for such an offense 鈥 not to mention that the maximum penalty for criminal damage is 10 years behind bars 鈥 is possibly unprecedented, said attorney Sarah Dodd who specializes in tree law.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody has got a custodial sentence for the illegal felling of a tree yet in the U.K.,鈥 said Dodd, who researched it and discussed the matter with colleagues. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 on the table because of the gravity of the situation. And when I say gravity, I think value and also shock of the nation.鈥
The tree was far from Britain鈥檚 biggest or oldest. But the way the tree’s graceful canopy filled the saddle in the hills along a stretch of the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire had attracted generations of followers.
The tree became famous after being featured in Kevin Costner鈥檚 1991 film 鈥淩obin Hood: Prince Of Thieves,鈥 and was a big draw for tourists, landscape photographers and people snapping selfies for social media.
鈥淚’ve never had so many conversations as I鈥檝e had about the Sycamore Gap,鈥 said Dodd, who plans to attend the trial as a once-in-a-career opportunity. 鈥淓verybody knows about it. It鈥檚 captured the hearts or the attention at least of the whole of the U.K. Even people that don鈥檛 really care about trees or would not really even think about it.鈥
The grassy spot along the wall had been the site of first kisses, wedding proposals and a place where the ashes of loved ones were scattered.
Cape walked to the tree on the first dates with her future husband. They later watched their daughter take her first steps there. And after her mother and sister both died in 2020, Cape met her brother-in-law and nephews there when they couldn鈥檛 gather indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Before the tree was cut down, about 80% of the inquiries at the main visitors’ center of the were from people planning to walk to the tree, the park鈥檚 chief executive, Tony Gates, said after the tree was cut down.
“The tree鈥檚 part of our Northumbrian identity. It鈥檚 something that everybody grows up knowing about,鈥 Cape said. 鈥淔or the people in the villages around the tree, who live near the tree, it was a source of great pride.鈥
The sycamore was removed with a crane and taken to a National Trust property for storage. A section of the trunk went on display at the park visitor center last year and seeds from the tree that were for planting around the U.K.
In time, the tree itself may grow back. Dozens of shoots have sprouted from the stump.
