The two men have been sentenced to four years in prison for felling the tree at Sycamore Gap in a "moronic mission".
Former friends Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years in a fold in the landscape.
They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall, caused when the sycamore fell on the ancient monument.
Mrs Justice Lambert sentenced the pair today following a trial in May at Newcastle Crown Court.
The destruction of the tree took less than three minutes with the two men filming the act in what prosecutors described as a "moronic mission" to cut down the landmark.
Graham and Carruthers travelled for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, and carried their equipment across pitch black moorland during a storm back in September 2023.
The duo took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered and revelled in the media coverage, as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines.
When police arrested the pair and searched Graham’s phone, they found a two-minute and 41-second video which showed the sycamore being cut down at 12.30am on September 28 and had been sent to Carruthers.
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|The felled Sycamore Gap tree, on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland
Messages and voice notes between Graham and Carruthers the next day showed them talking about the story going “wild” and “viral”.
The tree was a symbol of Northumberland, was the site of countless family visits and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the sentencing hearing that since the trial, both defendants have admitted they “went on the mission”.
They however, denied intending for the tree to be cut down, either saying they were intoxicated or that they “didn’t believe it would happen until it did”.
“The prosecution rejects these late admissions… The court can be sure they were sober and prepared to do what they did,” Wright said.
The prosecutor told the court: “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.
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|Sycamore Gap stump
“The felling was carried out in a deliberate, professional way.”
He added that one of the aggravating factors was the site’s heritage status and the defendants’ attempts to avoid detection.
Wright said they knew other people, including a young boy, had been arrested in connection with the offence and were “closely following [the investigation] when they knew they were responsible”.
Andrew Poad, a National Trust manager, gave a victim impact statement, which was read out in court.
“This iconic tree can never be replaced, he said.
"Whilst the National Trust has cared for it on behalf of the nation, it belonged to the people. It was totemic.”
Poad added: “An overwhelming sense of loss and confusion was felt across the world.
“The question was why anyone would do this to such a beautiful tree in such a special place. It was beyond comprehension.”
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|Judge Mrs Justice Lambert delivered the verdict to the two men
An email address set up within days of the felling for people to share thoughts received 600 responses in a month.
One person wrote: “My husband proposed to me at Sycamore Gap under its leafy shelter. A few years ago, after lockdown, we took our children to see and walk the same section of the wall.
“I’m so glad we got to share such a beautiful and special spot with them before it was gone.”
The court was shown pictures of the new Sycamore Gap Celebration Room at The Sill site in Northumberland, and some comments left by people on a board and in the visitors’ book.
One said: “Nature at its best over 300 years, humanity at its worst over one night.”
Andrew Gurney, for Carruthers, said his client had finally offered a motive for chopping down the tree and “wishes to cleanse his conscience of what he has done”.
He said: “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.”
Chris Knox, defending Graham, said: “He is a troubled man who has had very real difficulties in his life, which have not all been of his own making.”
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|Police tape cordons off the Sycamore Gap tree after it was cut down in 2023
Knox said Graham, a groundworker, had set up a “proper business which paid tax and did all the appropriate things”.
His home and the business he operated from it, were attacked after he was remanded in custody, including having windows broken, the barrister said.
Graham and Carruthers once worked and socialised with each other, but have fallen out since their arrests, with each blaming the other.
Graham claimed Carruthers had a fascination with the sycamore, saying he had described it as “the most famous tree in the world” and spoken of wanting to cut it down, even keeping a piece of string in his workshop that he had used to measure its circumference.
Carruthers denied this and told the court he could not understand the outcry over the story, saying it was “just a tree”.
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|Detective Inspector Calum Meikle, who led the police investigation, said it remains unknown why the pair felled the tree
Detective Inspector Calum Meikle, who led the investigation, said police still did not know why the pair felled the tree.
He said: “That is possibly the element of this entire case that is most frustrating to everybody, and it potentially is the one question that will never be truly known.”
The National Trust, which owned the tree, said it had received thousands of messages from well-wishers after the tree was attacked.
It has grown seedlings from the original sycamore, which will be distributed to good causes around the country.