Adam Carruthers was sentenced to four years in prison for felling the Sycamore Gap tree with Daniel Graham. Carruthers has been released from jail after serving around ten months under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme, which occurred in March following a risk assessment by the prison governor. Carruthers will wear an electronic tag and follow curfew and licence conditions after release. The specific risk assessment that led to his release and the exact curfew and licence conditions he must follow have not been publicly detailed. Both men were told they would serve 40% of their sentences behind bars, with the remainder on licence in the community.
The tree was planted in the late 1800s and gained global fame after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers cut down the Sycamore Gap tree in the early hours of September 28, 2023, during Storm Agnes. The pair drove 40 minutes at night to cut down the tree, which took under three minutes. Carruthers marked the trunk with spray paint before felling it. Graham recorded the felling on his mobile phone from a nearby viewing point, and the pair carried away a wedge of the trunk as a trophy.
The pair's act was described as a 'moronic mission' to chop down the landmark, and the felling damaged part of Hadrian's Wall.
The specifics of Carruthers' release conditions and the risk assessment that facilitated it remain undisclosed by authorities.
Jurors took about five hours to reach guilty verdicts, and both men were remanded into custody for their own protection ahead of sentencing.
The motivation for the felling is not clear, with the judge not accepting the defendants' explanations as wholly honest. The prosecution rejected the pair's admissions that they were drunk and did not believe the tree would fully fall down.
The value of the tree was estimated at over £620,000, but this figure is now in dispute.
The National Trust rescued cuttings and saplings from the tree to preserve its legacy, with 49 saplings grown from seeds.
Distribution plans for the 49 saplings to charities and organisations are still being finalized by the National Trust.
The National Trust has launched a public vote to select an artist to create a public artwork from the saved wood. The wood has been stored for 28 months to season and is now ready for artists to work with.
Who are the six shortlisted artists for the public artwork, and what are their proposals, has not been disclosed by the National Trust.
An email address set up after the felling received 600 responses in a month.
The ongoing impact of the felling includes legal, cultural, and environmental dimensions, with future steps focused on restoration and commemoration.