9 d. ago Republican Texas is a surprising model for solving the UK’s prison crisis – but it just might work | Gaby Hinsliff

Jails in England and Wales are in overcrowded meltdown, but justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has a rare chance to flip the script. She shouldWhat should become of the two idiots who took a chainsaw to the beloved Sycamore Gap tree? Obviously it was thuggish, a pointless desecration of something that gave countless people joy, judging by the outpouring of unexpectedly deep emotion that followed. Landscapes work their way into the soul. But so does the thought of two children whose father is about to be jailed for what the judge warned would be a “lengthy period”. Though a line obviously has to be drawn, is this really the best way we can think of to punish a heartless act that nonetheless posed no danger to human life?Now is the perfect time to wrestle with questions such as this, about whom we send to prison and why, and whether doing it differently would lead to a more humane but more effective prison system and ultimately cut crime. For this government is – shock, horror – finall...

Events

1 week ago Sycamore Gap tree fellers ‘suspects in homophobic assaults inquiry’

Cumbria Police said two men were quizzed in 2024 after they received two reports of assault motivated by hate.

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2 w. ago Remarkable history of felled Sycamore Gap tree from film icon to bitter feud

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were convicted this week after being found guilty of cutting down Northumberland's famous Sycamore Gap tree. But what is it about this felled tree that made it so special to so many?

Culture

2 w. ago Lumberjack who was falsely accused of chopping down the Sycamore Gap tree 'considered taking his own life' after being arrested for felling the iconic landmark

Walter Renwick, 70, was named on social media as being responsible for felling the famous landmark, in September 2023, and arrested by police the following day.

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2 w. ago JAN MOIR: What kind of society produces two men so dumb and emotionally stunted that their biggest achievement in life has been to create a stump?

At Newcastle Crown Court this week, former best friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, protested their innocence right to the end, even in the face of much evidence to the contrary.

Politics

2 w. ago What sentence could Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham get for felling Sycamore Gap tree

A jury has found the two former friends guilty of cutting down the much-loved landmark

Politics

2 w. ago Sycamore Gap yob's bitter family feud that spiralled into disasterous revenge plot

Daniel Graham was convicted of cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree - but the yob was already embroiled in a bitter family feud which has left him with no home to go to

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2 w. ago Sycamore Gap Trial: Lawyer compares felling of famous tree to 'murder' and hopes punishing of vandals will 'set a new tone' for cases involving the destruction of the natural world

Award-winning crime reporter George Odling and tree lawyer Sarah Dodd reacted to news that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty of cutting down the famous tree.

Events

2 w. ago The anonymous 101 call that snared the Sycamore Gap fellers – and left their friendship in tatters

It was a friendship that blossomed over fixing an old Land Rover, but it led to the destruction of one of the country’s best-known trees

Politics

2 w. ago Sycamore Gap tree choppers were 'best pals' before they turned on each other

Their three-year friendship unravelled after police found out what they had done

Politics

2 w. ago Sycamore Gap: Who are the two ‘best mates’ whose friendship crumbled as they were convicted?

The two men, aged 32 and 39, were “best of pals” when they set about the tree

Politics

2 w. ago Video footage shows the moment famous Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down

Two people have been found guilty of criminal damage in relation to the event

Culture

2 w. ago 'Revenge' after a planning dispute over ramshackle caravan home..or a souvenir for newborn baby girl? The motives behind Sycamore Gap felling as two vandals face years behind bars

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, face up to ten years in prison for felling the Sycamore Gap tree during a 'moronic mission' which lasted less than three minutes and damaged Hadrian's Wall.

Politics

2 w. ago Sycamore Gap tree detectives faced daunting task – then vandal 'grassed' on ex

Sycamore Gap detectives revealed one of the 'moronic' vandals 'grassed' on his ex-friend amid the investigation into the crime that shocked the nation - two men were today found guilty of felling the historic tree

Politics

2 w. ago Was 'revenge' the motive behind Sycamore Gap felling? Vandal had been accused of 'destroying the countryside' in planning dispute over his ramshackle caravan home

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, face up to ten years in prison for felling the Sycamore Gap tree during a 'moronic mission' which lasted less than three minutes and damaged Hadrian's Wall.

Politics

2 w. ago Call for trees to be ‘listed’ like historic buildings in wake of Sycamore Gap felling

Several thousand trees would be included in the scheme, experts say

Politics

2 w. ago Two men found guilty of ‘mindless, moronic’ felling of Sycamore Gap tree

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, found to have criminally damaged tree and Hadrian’s Wall‘Stealing joy’: the sadness and symbolism of the crime at Sycamore GapTwo friends who embarked on a “moronic mission” to fell the Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw have been found guilty of “mindless” criminal damage.Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, cut down the cherished tree, next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, as Storm Agnes raged in the early hours of 28 September 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Sycamore Gap tree: Two former friends found guilty of cutting down "the most famous tree in the world"

"Is that what's at the heart of this? You thought it was 'just a tree', and when the rest of the world didn't think it was 'just a tree' and it was a terrible and wicked thing to have done, you've lost your bottle and can't own up to it?"

Politics

2 w. ago Two men are found GUILTY of chopping down beloved Sycamore Gap tree during 'moronic mission' which they filmed on mobile phone

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, face up to ten years in prison for felling the Sycamore Gap tree and causing damage to Hadrian's Wall in the process.

Events

2 w. ago Former friends guilty of cutting down famous Sycamore Gap tree in act of 'mindless criminal damage'

The famous tree, which stood in a dramatic dip in Hadrian’s Wall, was cut down in September 2023

Events