May 9 (UPI) -- Two men could soon receive as many as 10 years in prison after being found guilty of cutting down an iconic British tree.
Authorities in Northumberland County announced Friday that Defendants Daniel Michael Graham and Adam Carruthers have been convicted of having chopped down the Sycamore Gap tree and to have caused damage to Hadrian's Wall.
The tree had grown in a dip on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland for over 100 years but was felled in September of 2023.
"We often hear references to acts of mindless vandalism, but that term has never been more relevant than today in describing the actions of those individuals," Northumberland Superintendent of Police Kevin Waring said at a press conference Friday,
"At no point, have the two men given an explanation as why they targeted the tree, and there never could be a justifiable one."
Graham and Carruthers were each convicted of two counts of criminal damage.
Prosecutors said the pair had conducted what they called "mindless thuggery" for fun, but once they realized there was a public backlash both were afraid to confess.
Both were taken back into custody after the verdict for their "own protection," and will be sentenced in July.
The tree was planted in the late 1800s with the expectation it would be a landmark, as it grew out of Hadrian's Wall, which was built by the Roman army in the year 122. It created a unique visual as it stood tall between two hills from the historic wall, which is also a World Heritage Site.
The two men cut the tree down with a chainsaw in the dark of night.
Chief Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service Northeast Gale Gilchrist said in a press conference Friday that the two men exchanged messages the next day after they cut down the tree, and reveled "in the public outcry they had caused."
She added that "The international reaction of disapproval and anger following the destruction at Sycamore Gap illustrates how keenly the public has felt the loss of this beloved sight."
