Chainsaw used to cut down Sycamore Gap tree and wedge of trunk trophy never found, court hears

The chainsaw allegedly used to cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree as well as remove a wedge of trunk said to have been taken as a trophy were never found, a court has heard.

Groundworker Daniel Graham, 39, and mechanic Adam Carruthers, 32, each deny two counts of criminal damage to the tree and to Hadrian's Wall overnight on 28 September 2023.

Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court have been played mobile phone footage allegedly showing the moment the men used a chainsaw to fell the sycamore, which then crashed on to the Roman wall.

Prosecutors say photographs and two short videos taken on Graham's phone showed a piece of wood next to a chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover after they travelled to the Northumberland landmark in the dark during Storm Agnes.

But on the third day of the trial, the court heard neither the chainsaw nor the alleged trophy have been found, despite extensive police searches.

The jury has been told the defendants now appeared to blame each other and their once-close friendship has "unravelled".

The court heard Graham told police in an interview he was being framed for the crime as part of a dispute with someone "stirring the pot" and insisted: "That Sycamore Gap's got nothing to do with me."

"I have no reason on this planet to go and fell this f***ng tree, all right," he said, and when asked if it was a shock, he replied: "Aye, it's a shock but not a surprise."

When the police asked him if he denied being responsible for the crime, he said: "1000%, I will tell you now, it was not me stood by the tree with the chainsaw."

The court heard he also told police: "I have never been a grass and I'm not going to f***ng start now.

"I'm not going to start ruining people's families.

"If I get the blame, I get the f****ng blame. I ain't going to sit here and give someone else's name."

Asked if the allegation that he was involved would ruin his life, he replied: "I don't have any family, so I don't give a f**k", the court heard.

He added: "If I get the blame, I will deal with it."

Carruthers told police he didn't remember what he had been doing on the night the Sycamore Gap tree had been felled.

He told officers he did not own a chainsaw and had not used one for months, which would probably have been on a fencing job.

Carruthers said: "If I'm honest, I'm not really a fan of them because they're nasty things."

He told police he had never felled a tree before, saying: "If someone said 'there's a tree and there's a saw, cut that down,' I'd have a go, but I've never done it."

He went on to say: "I wouldn't be keen doing it, I wouldn't jump at the chance, if I'm honest, like. I wouldn't fancy that - I'll stick with spanners."

Prosecutor Rebecca Brown told jurors Graham was first arrested at his home at Millbeck Stables, Carlisle, on 31 October 2023.

Two chainsaws were seized from a work shed, along with a mobile phone inside a jacket pocket hanging in a caravan, during a search.

Carruthers was first arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on the same date at the caravan where he was living at The Old Fuel Depot at Kirkbride Airfield, Wigton, Cumbria, the court heard.

Read more from Sky News:
On the street with elite police unit tackling knife crime
Body of teenager recovered from lake

Ms Brown said the two men were arrested for a second time on 3 November 2023 when a chainsaw was found in a shipping container at the Old Fuel Depot site.

But none of the chainsaws recovered are said to be the one used in felling the Sycamore Gap tree, the jury was told.

The court heard Carruthers's father's house in Wigton, Cumbria, was also searched by police on 3 November.

"The reason for the search was to look for outstanding property, namely a chainsaw and a wedge from the tree," Ms Brown said.

She said the house was "extremely cluttered with access to most rooms difficult because of this" and there was no sign of any chainsaws or a wedge from a tree.

The prosecutor told the court the house was also searched for chainsaw parts, chainsaw packaging, felling equipment, mobile phones, receipts of any relevant purchases, banking details, silver spray paint, clothing stained in silver paint and boots.

But none of these were found.

Jurors were told that forensic video analyst Emiliano Polito was instructed to compare photos and videos on Graham's phone showing a piece of wood and a large chainsaw in the boot of a vehicle - taken at 2am on 28 September 2023 - with images taken by a scenes of crime officer of Graham's Range Rover at his property.

Ms Brown said Mr Polito conducted a vehicle comparison and found that "there is no doubt that vehicle X (the vehicle in the images and videos) and the recovered vehicle (Graham's Range Rover) are the same vehicle".

The trial continues.

(c) Sky News 2025: Chainsaw used to cut down Sycamore Gap tree and wedge of trunk trophy never found, court hears