UK: 2 charged over felling of well-known Sycamore Gap tree

Authorities within the United Kingdom have charged two males with prison injury over the felling of the well-known Sycamore Gap tree.

The iconic sycamore had stood for a whole lot of years beside a bit of the Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeastern England.

The tree was found minimize down by the Northumberland National Park Authority in September 2023.

Much-loved ‘Robin Hood’ tree

The two accused, aged 31 and 38, have additionally been charged with damaging Hadrian’s Wall, in-built A.D. 122 by Emperor Hadrian to protect the northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire. 

The suspects had been arrested final October and launched on bail. They are as a consequence of seem at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on May 15.

The tree was positioned in a dip within the panorama and featured within the 1991 Hollywood blockbuster “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” which starred Kevin Costner.

The destruction of the tree induced outrage and an outpouring of disappointment within the UK.

It received the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year in 2016 and was a well-liked spot for photographers, hikers, marriage proposals and scattering of ashes.

The stump of the felled tree stays on the web site with a low fence round it, within the hope it can regrow over time.

kb/nm (AFP, Reuters, AP)