A man involved in cutting down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree has been released from prison after serving only 10 months of his over four-year sentence. Adam Carruthers, 33, was imprisoned in May 2025 along with his former companion Daniel Graham, 40. They were convicted of causing damage to the beloved tree and Hadrian’s Wall in September 2023.
Carruthers used a chainsaw to bring down the tree while Graham recorded the act. Following a falling out before their trial, Carruthers, from Wigton, Cumbria, has been released on a curfew with an electronic monitoring device. He has resumed working at Cumbria Turf in Kirkbride, the same company he was associated with during the legal proceedings.
When asked about his release, Carruthers expressed his happiness and confirmed his return to work. The general manager of Twice Brewed Inn, located near Sycamore Gap, expressed surprise at Carruthers’ early release. The pub, frequented by hikers along Hadrian’s Wall, houses a part of the felled tree.
Under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme, Carruthers and Graham, from near Carlisle, were sentenced to four years and three months in prison. They were informed by the judge that they would serve a maximum of 40% of the sentence. Carruthers would have been released in January 2027, but due to the scheme, he was released earlier in March this year.
According to a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, individuals under the Home Detention Curfew face stringent conditions and electronic monitoring. Any violation can result in returning to prison. Locals expressed discontent over Carruthers’ release, with some deeming it premature given the gravity of his actions in damaging the tree and the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall.
Graham and Carruthers drove 40 miles from Carlisle to Sycamore Gap in September 2023, where Carruthers cut down the tree, causing significant damage. The court was presented with a video showing the incident, which resulted in substantial financial losses. Despite growing up in Wigton, Cumbria, Carruthers was described by neighbors as misguided, teaming up with Graham for the destructive act.
Friends in Wigton characterized Carruthers as reckless, highlighting the video they shared of the tree being felled as part of their ill-conceived mission. The prosecution alleged that the men took a piece of the tree as a memento, although it was never recovered. Judge Lambert held both Carruthers and Graham equally responsible for the tree’s destruction when they were sentenced.