Man who cut down Sycamore Gap tree released from prison

Adam Carruthers, 33, 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 Daniel Graham.

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.

PA understands Carruthers has been released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme, as first reported by ITV News Tyne Tees, which said the decision was taken by the governor of the prison where he was serving his sentence, after a risk assessment.

Tyne Tees spoke to him off camera at a Cumbria turf business where he used to work. He told the broadcaster he was happy to be out of prison.

In a statement issued to PA, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Anyone released into Home Detention Curfew faces strict licence conditions and must be tagged. Those who break the rules can be returned to prison.”

It is understood that prisoners must have 12 months or less to serve before their conditional release to be eligible for the Home Detention Curfew Scheme and must be risk-assessed.

They are subject to strict licence conditions and the curfew is enforced with an electronic tag and they must stay at their registered home address.

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

They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall, which happened when the tree 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, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying 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.