Two men have been charged with cutting down the popular 150-year-old Sycamore Gap tree next to Hadrian’s Wall last year in northern England, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, were charged with causing criminal damage and damaging the wall built in A.D. 122 by Emperor Hadrian to guard the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire.
They were ordered to appear in Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on May 15.
The sycamore’s majestic canopy between two hills made it a popular subject for landscape photographers. It became a destination after being featured in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.”
Tree was 150 years old.
Sentence them to the same amount of time.
Not for prison, though. For community service rebuilding historic sites.
And planting trees.
Good idea
Hear hear, who’d want to pay for all their meals as they generate nothing besides prison profits.
Prisons should not be for profit institutes.
They shouldn’t, but that doesn’t change reality.
That’d be reasonable, I guess. Probably just on weekends, but for the rest of their working lives.
Even better, give the tree a citizenship, then try them for (attempted?) murder. Battery at the minimum.
Wow, look at those upvotes. It’s a tree, even if a very special one; this is pure rage jerk.
Nothing more British than zealously and dogmatically defending a 150 year old celebrity.
Why are you booing us, we’re right!
Although, my own comment has nearly broken even as of writing, which really surprises me. I’m proud of you, Lemmy. On Reddit I’m sure I’d be on the downvote elevator to hell.
These dudes should be punished as the worst kind of vandals, but 150 years is what you give someone when you wish you could execute them. It’s a tree. Another will grow, and it would have blown over eventually anyway; don’t escalate to bloodshed or bloodshed substitutes.
Are you stupid