In northern England, police have detained a 16-year-old on suspicion of deliberately toppling a 300-year-old Sycamore Gap tree and causing criminal damage. The teenager was taken into custody by authorities as local residents expressed their sadness over the destruction of the iconic tree, which had been a prominent feature of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland for centuries.
On Thursday (Sep 28), Northumbria police announced that the boy was being held in custody and was cooperating with the ongoing police investigation. National park authorities and locals expressed their bewilderment at the senseless destruction of Sycamore Gap, a tree that had long been an integral part of the region’s heritage and had weathered countless seasons.
The tree, believed to be around 300 years old, gained fame when it appeared in the 1991 film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” starring Kevin Costner. Police characterized the felling of the tree as a deliberate act of vandalism.
An investigation was immediately launched into the incident. Superintendent Kevin Waring of Northumbria police stated, “This is a world-renowned landmark, and the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness, and anger throughout the local community and beyond.” He urged the public to provide any information that could assist the investigation, emphasizing that the inquiry was in its early stages.
Park rangers and law enforcement officials at the scene observed that the tree appeared to have been skillfully cut down with a sharp chainsaw by someone with knowledge of the task. Due to strong winds from Storm Agnes, locals reported not hearing anything during the night and discovered the tree had been severed from its stump early in the morning.
Andrew Poad, the general manager at the National Trust, expressed his perplexity at the motive behind the tree’s destruction, stating, “We have ups and downs [with members of the public], but not to a degree anyone would do something like this. It’s a reason better known to themselves. It’s part of this area’s DNA, that’s what I’m struggling with. I can’t see the logic in what’s happened.”
Post Your Comments