Sycamore Gap trial live: Friends filmed themselves chopping down iconic tree in ‘moronic mission’, court told

Some more now on the prosecution’s evidence on what both Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham have said during questioning from police.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC says he understands Graham denies being involved in anyway, and that his car and phone were used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling.

Carruthers, Mr Wright says, also denies anything to do with the felling.

He says: “Their once close friendship appears to have unravelled, perhaps as the public revulsion at their behaviour became clear to them.”

He continues: “He [Graham] will say that Carruthers and perhaps another man are to blame and claim that Carruthers has admitted as much to him.

“In contrast, Carruthers denies that he had anything at all to do with the felling of the tree and will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down.

“We will invite you to conclude from the evidence that both of them are lying in an effort to escape responsibility and that each of them is guilty.”

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC tells the jury both defendants were questioned again on November 3 2023.

He says Daniel Graham told officers he was not using the vehicle on the night in question, and when asked if anyone else was, he said “no”.

Graham answered “no comment” when he was asked by police if he had allowed someone else to borrow the vehicle.

When asked about the saws of his associates – and asked whether he took the video – Graham answered “no comment”, Mr Wright tells the jury.

Graham continued to deny responsibility for the offence but alluded to the person responsible “having young kids”, and said he would not give any names.

Adam Carruthers answered ‘no comment’ to all questions asked, Mr Wright says.

Richard Wright KC says Adam Carruthers told police he did not live with his partner and two children.

Mr Wright says: “He said that his partner had just had their second child, so he was at the caravan at lot to help her.

“When asked whether he left Cumbria on the night the tree was cut down he said ‘I don’t think so’.

“He said that he had used a chainsaw before, but this was months previously.

“He said that he had not felled a tree before, although he would ‘have a go’ if he was asked.”

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC tells the jury that Daniel Graham is denying being involved in the incident in any way.

Mr Wright says: “His car and his phone must have been used without his knowledge to make the journey and record the felling.

“He will say that Carruthers and another man are to blame and claim that Carruthers has admitted that to him.”

Meanwhile, Adam Carruthers also denies having anything to do with the felling of the tree, Mr Wright says.

“[He] will maintain that he was not present when it was cut down,” Mr Wright says.

“We will invite you to conclude from the evidence that both of them are lying in an effort to escape responsibility for what they have done.”

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers had a close friendship, but since the felling of the tree, that appears to have unravelled, says prosecutor Richard Wright KC.

Mr Wright says the pair are now apparently blaming each other.

He tells the jury: “It now seems that these two men are themselves lacking the courage to admit what they’ve done because each of them seemingly denies that he was involved in the felling of the tree.

“More than that, each of them now seems to be trying to blame the other.

“That once close friendship has seemingly completely unravelled, perhaps as the public revulsion at their behaviour became clear to them.”

Richard Wright KC says Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers committed the offences on Hadrian’s Wall jointly and were “in it together”, one wielding the chainsaw and one recording the felling.

He tells jurors: “We can’t say which person cut the tree and which person was holding the phone and making the recording, but we do not need to do so.

“Any person who intentionally assisted, encouraged or caused the damage to happen is as guilty as the person who’s holding the chainsaw.”

As prosecutor Richard Wright KC has already told the jury, Daniel Graham’s Range Rover was said to have been driven to the site of the Sycamore Gap felling on September 27 in 2023.

In interview, Mr Wright says Graham claimed he was not trained to fell large trees but could explain how he would used a ‘wedge technique’ to do it.

“He accepted that the Range Rover LR09 YFC was his, but he said that it was available for anyone who wanted to use it,” Mr Wright tells the jury.

On Graham’s mobile phone, which the prosecution say was used to film the felling, the defendant said he would let someone use his phone while at work, Mr Wright says.

“Graham claimed that his name had been linked to this way of a malicious complaint,” Mr Wright says.

On the pair’s conversations after the tree was felled, prosecutor Richard Wright KC says they show excitement, and no remorse.

He says “message after message” about the Sycamore Gap story were shared between them or screenshotted and saved by Daniel Graham, showing they were “gathering news of their infamy”.

He says: “The prosecution suggest that this is more than a mere discussion between interested people about a news story.

You may think, members of the jury, that perhaps there is an excitement there, an incredulity, a fascination. But certainly sadness or remorse.”

The day after the Sycamore Gap tree came down the story became headline news around the world.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC says Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers sent each other messages “revelling in” what they had done, talking about the felling going “wild” and “viral,” and commenting that the damage had clearly been done by “a professional”.

He tells jurors: “They are loving it, they’re revelling in it. This is the reaction of the people that did it. They still think it’s funny, or clever, or big.”

In one message Graham said to Carruthers: “Not a bad angle on that stump,” adding: “That’s clearly a professional.”

Jurors were played a voice note from Carruthers to Graham saying: “Someone there has tagged like ITV News, BBC News, Sky News, like news, news, news. I think it’s gonna go wild.”

Another voice note from Graham to Carruthers at 11.17am said: “Jeffrey (a name Carruthers uses) it’s gone viral. It is worldwide. It will be on ITV news tonight.”

Just after 7pm that evening Graham sent another voice note to Carruthers saying: “Jeffrey it’s on f****** Sky News as we speak.”

We heard earlier how prosecutor Richard Wright KC said Adam Carruthers messaged his partner, Amy Connor, after the tree was felled.

Now we’re hearing more on that alleged conversation on Facebook messenger.

Mr Wright says Carruthers started the chat with his partner Amy Connor, who sent him a video of a child being bottle fed.

Carruthers replied: “I’ve got a better video than that, and Ms Connor said “I bet.”

Carruthers replied: “You know the score.”

Eight minutes later, Graham’s phone sent the video of the tree being felled to Carruthers’ phone, Mr Wright says.