Sycamore Gap jury told to 'set emotion aside'

Jurors in the case of two men accused of felling the famous Sycamore Gap tree have been told by a judge to set all emotion aside.

Twelve people have been sworn in at Newcastle Crown Court to consider the case against the pair who both deny chopping down the tree on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland in September 2023.

Daniel Michael Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, each face two counts of criminal damage relating to the tree and the Roman wall.

The trial is listed for 10 days and is due to open on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Mrs Justice Lambert gave a brief outline of the trial to the initial batch of 25 jurors before they were whittled down by random ballot to the final 12.

She said the case concerned "allegations of criminal damage", in particular the "felling by a chainsaw of a sycamore tree situated at Hadrian's Wall that is commonly known as Sycamore Gap", also causing damage to the Roman fortification.

The judge said jurors would no doubt have heard about the case but, when they were selected, they would swear a "solemn" oath to only try it based on the evidence they saw and heard in "the four walls" of the courtroom and nothing else.

She also said they would have to "put any emotion to one side" and reach verdicts "dispassionately", which may not be easy or desirable but was what they must do.

Ahead of their selection, the jurors also had to answer three questions:

• Did they know either of the two defendants or any of 21 named witnesses, including a forensic botanist and workers for the National Trust, Historic England and Northumbria Police
• Did they work for or have any link to the National Trust or Historic England not including being a member
• Other than general knowledge and or visiting the site, did they have any particular link "emotional or otherwise" to Sycamore Gap or Hadrian's Wall

The tree, which was planted in the late 1800s, was felled overnight on 27 September 2023 sparking international outrage.