Sycamore Gap case cracked by 'fantastically famous' tree video

The detective who led the Sycamore Gap probe knew he had cracked the crime when he saw the 'fantastically famous outline of the tree' on a video uncovered on Daniel Graham's phone.

Police forensic experts took the pitch black footage with the sound of the chainsaw on it and uncovered a lone figure wielding the chainsaw and the irrefutable evidence of the tree falling to earth. Today, Det Insp Calum Meikle saw Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham imprisoned for the senseless act of destruction. The shocking crime attracted more worldwide coverage than any other inquiry he has worked on, including serious crimes such as murder. And the discovery of the video footage on Graham's phone provided the vital breakthrough once it was established that it had been filmed on his handset and was not sent to him.

Today both men were jailed or four years and three months, with judge Mrs Justice Lambert condemning them for destroying the tree she described as part of the landscape and our "natural heritage". She said it was a landmark for Northumberland and a "symbol of the untamed beauty" of the landscape around Hadrian's Wall and had great personal significance for many people. The judge says she could not be sure what the men's motive was but believed "bravado" and "thrill seeking" were a major factor.

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Looking back on the video footage which helped nail the pair, DI Meikle recalled: "You could hear the sound of the chainsaw. Once we had that enhanced it provided us with shocking images.

"It was obviously time stamped and date stamped. You hear a chainsaw and to get that enhanced was so important. It was the original media, it was not sent to them.

"The video itself then showed this fantastically famous outline of the tree. You see the stem move to the right.

"It was undoubtedly the Sycamore Gap." It was then that he knew they had cracked the case, adding: "I am just happy to have delivered the two people that I know are responsible."

But he still struggles to comprehend why they carried out one of the most infamous crimes of recent times. And exactly why they set off on their 'moronic' mission remains a mystery.

As Carruthers, 32, and Graham, 39, finally faced justice, he told how that infuriated Nature lovers around the world. The universal repulsion to the felling of the tree meant colleagues all told him that they 'wouldn't want that job'.

He revealed that the pair could not be charged with destruction of the tree because the stump was still growing, despite the Sycamore having been in place for 150 years.

But the Scots-born detective, whose dad used to work in forestry, felt satisfaction at the pair finally being brought to justice on the charge of criminal damage - which carries the same 10-year maximum sentence as the charge of destruction.

Former mountaineering instructor DI Meikle, 51, who was born near the Isle of Skye, said: "I've been lucky enough to work in quite a number of elements of policing now.

"But in the 21 years I've been with the force, this has been unique. I tried to put external pressures to one side and make sure that I focused upon the task in hand. There is a personal pressure. There's also a personal pride.

"At a family event or social event when you say you're working on the Sycamore Gap, people say it is an incredible case.

"And within the force you would get people saying: 'I wouldn't want that job'.

"None of us really anticipated just how big this was to become.

"I certainly don't think that they fully understood the enormity of their actions."

He told how he had been asked to do the job because of his upbringing and knowledge of forestry. He was called in to examine the tree within hours of it being cut down. And he admitted: "The first question people ask is why?

"That's something that we still don't fully understand. I know that there are a lot of suggestions and theories about this. But there are only two people that really will potentially ever know.

"That is the biggest frustration. If there was an obvious grudge, as you say, then people could understand it.

"And there's normally a driver behind crime, but we don't know what the purpose of this was, what the reason was.

"I would say that the community, especially the local community, are increasingly frustrated.

"I am just happy to have delivered, the two people that I know are responsible."

There was 'intelligence' provided to police two weeks after the tree was felled in September, 2023, led to Grahamand Carruthers being named as the men responsible; the intelligence indicated that they still had a trophy from the scene.

That then led to the identification of Graham's vehicle in the area on the night. And seizure of his phone uncovered the vital video evidence of the tree being felled.

The jury was shown the footage during dramatic opening days of evidence at Newcastle crown court, and DI Meikle knew that was pivotal in bringing the successful prosecution.

He recalled: "The video recovered from Daniel Graham's mobile phone and when we first found it, it was just a black video with sound, the sound of the chainsaw.

"However, once we had that enhanced, that then provided us with shocking images. It was very satisfying to have found that as a result of the arrest, and take that to a point of credible evidence.

"I'm always impressed with what the digital forensic units are able to achieve.

"That was the key moment for us."