KUALA LUMPUR – A 38-year-old man pleaded not guilty to cutting down the world-famous 200-year-old Sycamore Gap tree on September 28 last year.
Daniel Graham claimed trial, while Adam Carruthers, 31, did not enter a plea, after both were charged with criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, reported the BBC.
The duo were later granted bail until the next mention at Newcastle Crown Court on June 12.
According to court documents, the felling of the tree cost £622,191 (RM3,706,614) in damages and £1,144 for the wall.
The much-photographed 50-foot-tall tree has stood next to Hadrian’s Wall since the time of the Romans in the late 1800s.
The tree had been popular with visitors and tourists, with millions travelling to the site, and was also featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Following the vandalism incident, the National Trust said the tree would be moved by crane and taken to a property owned by the trust, where it would be stored safely. – May 15, 2024