Daniel Graham Leaves Prison After Sycamore Gap Tree Crime

Daniel Graham, 41, has been released from prison on licence after serving time for cutting down the famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland, England. Graham was sentenced alongside Adam Carruthers in July 2025 for criminal damage to the landmark tree beside Hadrian's Wall and damage to the ancient monument itself.

Graham served 16 months in prison, in addition to time spent on remand, before his release under supervision in the community, The Mirror first reported. Carruthers, his co-defendant, was released in April 2026.

At sentencing, Mrs Justice Lambert ruled that both men would serve 40% of their sentences in custody, with the remainder completed on licence in the community.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson addressed Graham's release on Monday, October 12, emphasizing the seriousness of the offense and the conditions attached to supervised release.

"The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was a disgraceful crime. Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and can be returned to prison immediately if they breach them." a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said.

Graham and Carruthers, former friends, were convicted of damaging the tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in the Northumberland landscape. They were also found guilty of damaging Hadrian's Wall when the tree fell onto the historic structure in September 2023.

During the trial at Newcastle Crown Court, prosecutors described the pair's actions as a "moronic mission" to destroy the landmark. The court heard that they traveled for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria before crossing exposed moorland in darkness during a storm in September 2023.

The court was told that the men took a wedge cut from the tree as a keepsake, which has never been recovered. Their actions attracted widespread national and international media attention after the tree was felled.

Mrs Justice Lambert found that Carruthers physically cut down the tree, while Graham drove him to the location and recorded the act on his mobile phone.

The tree had become a recognizable symbol of Northumberland and featured in the film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. Its destruction took less than three minutes.