Boy, 16, Arrested after Robin Hood Tree 'Deliberately' Cut Down
In the News
What is wrong with the youth of today ???
You see the idiotic antics they get up to on tiktok , but this is at another level
What would possess a 16 year to go to the trouble of taking a chainsaw to an iconic ancient tree at Hadrians Wall ???
I saw the damage on the news tonight and it was so sad to view it
What i cannot understand is the reason why ?
What pleasure can anyone get out of destroying a beautiful piece of nature and history ?
I have used a chainsaw myself on the odd occasion to remove diseased trees and it can be hard work
I was shocked at the girth of this tree, it would have taken hours to cut even with a petrol chainsaw, which he must have used
And to cut it so level, he must have had some knowledge of tree felling , and know how to cut it without it toppling on him
All he will probably get is community service, the courts might make him plant a few trees as recompense
They need to strip some branches from another tree, namely the birch and give him some corporal punishment to teach him a lesson to fit the crime
Just why? What did the tree do to him? Really sad to lose such an important tree. No discipline these days. Back to Borstal!
Trying to prove something to himself no doubt but it's absolute sacrilege. To me it's akin to killing old people who have survived a thousand life crises .To chop them down at the prime of life as it were.
No one cares these days for anything. The boy was 16, what Is he going to get? Nothing I expect just a telling off. I really hate this day and age and would do anything to go back to my childhood. Life then was much simpler then now.
telmel A man in his 60's has also been arrested. I suspect more were also involved due to moving and cutting that size of tree.
lilyflower yes i read this last night L, lets hope they both get prosecuted , they deserve jail
There's alot of livid people up here. Local rumour has it that the older man had recently lost a court case & has been evicted from a nearby property & the young lad sacked from his job. No idea if there's truth it. Either way there's alot of gutted folk up here. I wouldn't want to be them facing locals.
Couldn't believe when I saw it on the news, visited that tree a few times, yet another iconic piece of Britain gone
I’m amazed how much coverage in the news the vandalism of this tree has had. It’s a dreadful act that youth committed but there are far more life threatening newsworthy incidents.
I remember vividly the scene where it features in Robin Hood. I am sickened by this vandalism. The boy will probably get off if the old man encouraged him to help to do it.
Nowadays that's just kids being kids just thankful it was a tree and not a human
I mean I’m sure we’ve all done stupid things as teens, obviously he’s done some permanent damage but we’ve all made mistakes.
jms19 There's mistakes J and accidents , but this pair planned this
Imagine if someone with a bulldozer went to Stonehenge and knocked everything down ?
Ok stone is not a living tree, but destroying ancient history is sacrilege
The planet is already suffering from pollution and destruction , we need trees to help combat it
But i think we are fighting a losing battle
So sad, and no surprised to see that they have made more arrests, no way a 16 year old has done this by themselves, that's a very neat and clean job on a very large teee
slightfoot The other person said to be involved is a 62 yr old Lumberjack , but he denies any involvement . He was posing in the paper the other day next to his motorcycle. I believe him as much as i believe this monty python sketch, the 2nd half could be referring to him 
Its so sad, that anyone would feel the need to behave in such a destructive way. With no respect for others or nature, but surely, he can't of done it alone though, at just 16.
The plot thickens
I copied this from a yahoo article, i didnt post the link as they do not stay up that long
The same article from the BBC i have posted the link for below does not have this additional information i pasted
A man who was questioned by police investigating the felling claims he was forced to defend his reputation over the weekend after speculation on social media of carrying out the crime as revenge for being evicted from his farm, following a longrunning dispute with his landlords, the Jesuits in Britain.
Walter Renwick, a 69-year-old former lumberjack, told the media he was not the one who cut the tree down.
Related: Hadrian’s Wall Sycamore Gap tree – in pictures
“I am a former lumberjack and I have just been kicked off my property,” he told the Sun. “So I can see why people have pointed the finger. My brother came down to make sure I hadn’t been arrested, as he had heard the rumours. It’s very sad. It’s an iconic tree.”
Police officers and park rangers at the scene said they believed the tree had been sliced skilfully with a sharp chainsaw by someone who knew what they were doing.
I read a young lad went down to plant a sapling next to the felled one but unfortunately national trust had to remove it as the site is protected...
Nadiaparveen I saw this also N , i suppose if they allow one to be planted others may follow and could damage the area more by digging and planting unsuitable trees
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