The verdict... Weird... Daniel Graham 41 has been released from prison after serving 16 months of a four‑year‑plus sentence for chopping down the Sy Sycamore Gap tree, a landmark that stood beside Hadrian's Wall for more than a century. The 41‑year‑old was sentenced in July 2025 after a trial in Newcastle Crown Court that found him guilty of criminal damage to both the tree and the historic Roman wall. Graham is now back in the community on licence, under strict conditions that allow him to be returned to prison at any time. His release follows the earlier freedom of his former best friend and accomplice, Adam Carruthers, 33, who was released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.National Outrage Sparks From Moronic MissionThe two men sparked national outrage when they travelled to Northumberland in the dead of night and used a chainsaw to fell the famous sycamore in what the court described as a "moronic mission." They drove more than 40 minutes from Cumbria in Graham's Range Rover, nicknamed the "Black Pig," and travelled across pitch‑black moorland under a stormy sky to carry out the act of vandalism in less than three minutes. Carruthers used the chainsaw while Graham filmed the destruction on his mobile phone, producing a two‑minute, 41‑second clip that was later shared on social media.The video included a silhouette of a man standing beside the tree before the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw and the tree crashing onto the ancient Roman wall, causing further damage to the monument. The sycamore, believed to have been planted in the 1800s by lawyer and antiquarian John Clayton, had become a symbol of the Northumberland countryside and appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.Distinctive Silhouette Stunned Nation and PoliticiansIts distinctive silhouette featured on postcards, souvenirs and photographs, and it was a popular stop for walkers, photographers, couples and tourists. The act of felling the tree left the nation stunned, and condemnation poured in from politicians, including then‑Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The court listened to testimonies that Carruthers had boasted about possessing footage of the incident, and he bragged that he had a better video after his partner sent him a video of his young child.The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, ruled that Carruthers wielded the chainsaw while Graham drove him to the scene and recorded the felling. After the incident, the pair attempted to blame each other and their friendship dissolved. Carruthers, who was released earlier this year on an electronic tag and required to stay at a registered home address, said he was happy to be free.Ministry Of Justice Spokesman Calls Crime DisgracefulThe felling of the Sy Sycamore Gap tree was described by a Ministry of Justice spokesman as a disgraceful crime that is subject to strict conditions, and the released offenders can be returned to prison immediately if they breach those conditions.