A PAIR of idiot pals who chopped down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree have been jailed.

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, recorded themselves felling the tree with a chainsaw in the dead of night.

The pair had embarked on a “moronic mission” to chop down the tree, which had stood next to Hadrian’s Wall for more than a century before it was felled in just two minutes and 41 seconds.

Graham and Carruthers were each found guilty of two counts of criminal damage at Newcastle Crown Court in May.

Appearing at the same court today, the pair were jailed for four years and three months.

The court heard the pair have now admitted that Carruthers cut down the tree while Graham filmed him.

Their sentencing also heard for the first time a possible motive for the felling of the tree.

Andrew Gurney, representing Carruthers, said he had made admissions in a pre-sentence report.

He said: “He does wish to cleanse his conscience of what he has done. People want to know ‘Why? Why did you conduct this mindless act?’

“Unfortunately, it is no more than drunken stupidity. He felled that tree and it is something he will regret for the rest of his life.

“There’s no better explanation than that.”

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said there had been a “high degree of planning and premeditation”.

He said: “This was an expedition which required significant planning in terms of taking a vehicle, driving for about 40 minutes to a car park, taking with them appropriate specialist equipment, carrying the equipment for about 20 minutes’ walk in each direction.

“The felling was carried out in a deliberate, professional way.”

Newcastle Crown Court earlier heard how the pair of friends struck in September 2023.

Driving from Carlisle overnight and during a storm the pair went on to cut down “the most famous tree in the world” with a chainsaw in the dead of night.

It took the men just three minutes to destroy the tree which had been growing for more than 100 years.

The court heard how they took a wedge of the ancient tree with them as a “trophy.”

The act sent shockwaves through the country with Graham and Carruthers boasting to each other about going “viral.”

Video filmed by the pair shows one of them using a chainsaw to cut down the world famous tree which fell at around 12:30am.

The tree held global significance for its position on the old frontier of the Roman Empire.

The much-loved landmark stood next to Hadrian’s Wall and once appeared in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Graham and Carruthers are said to have sent voice notes bragging about felling the more than a century old tree to one another.

But, while giving evidence the pair turned on each other in a desperate bid to save their own skin.

Graham had claimed that Carruthers phoned him the morning after the tree was felled to confess that it was him who hacked it down.

He went on to say that the dad-of-two previously spoke about felling the iconic landmark.

Graham also claimed Carruthers asked him to take the blame for the crime “because he had mental health issues” and would be treated more leniently.

Carruthers told jurors he was surprised by the public outcry as he thought it “was just a tree.”

He added: “I didn’t understand how a tree would be able to hit the headlines as much as it did.

“It was almost as if someone had been murdered.”

Graham, who ran a groundworks firm, and mechanic Carruthers, denied causing £622,191 worth of criminal damage to the tree and £1,144 worth of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall.

Both were found guilty by a jury after more than 5 hours of deliberation.

They were remanded in custody in May and warned that they could face significant jail terms.

Felling the world famous landmark was described as “the arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery.”

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said: “Today’s sentencing has seen justice done but it will not bring this majestic tree back. Once a historic tree is felled, it is lost forever, and I share people’s anger at this shocking act of environmental vandalism.

“I hope these individuals come to appreciate the impact their actions have had, and they have the chance to put right their wrongs.

“Heartbreaking attacks like this are devastating and we are considering how to give greater protections to trees of historic importance.”

Sam Cooper, Forestry Commission Yorkshire and North East Area Director, said: “The strength of public feeling about the wilful destruction of this historic tree is evident, particularly in the North East.

“The Forestry Commission supported Northumbria Police and Newcastle Crown Court with this investigation, and the verdict shows just how seriously our judicial system takes illegal tree felling. 

“We need to harvest trees to make timber for use in our homes and garden, but that was not the intention of these people who put their skills to use in the worst possible way.”