Sycamore Gap Tree: Teen arrested under suspicion of cutting ‘Robin Hood’ fame tree in England

NEW DELHI: A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday after being suspected of being involved in the felling of one of the most photographed trees in Britain.
Situated near Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage site in England, the tree was found felled after an overnight storm causing outrage and shock among the people.
The 200-year-old Sycamore Gap tree was shot to fame in 1991 after being a part of a scene blockbuster film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, starring Kevin Costner. It was a part of the Northumberland National Park.
The tree’s stump appeared to be cleanly cut and had white paint marks, as per reports.

The adolescent was detained on suspicion of committing criminal damage, according to Northumbria Police, which is looking into the incident.
“The events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond”, Superintendent Kevin Waring said.
“Given our investigation remains at a very early stage, we are keeping an open mind,” he added.
“It’s really sad that someone has taken it upon themselves to do what is really a terrible act of vandalism,” said Tony Gates, chief executive of the Northumberland National Park Authority to AFP and believed it had been “deliberately felled”.
“We’re not able at this stage to speculate on (by) who, or why this has taken place,” he added.
Feeling a “real sense of loss”, Gates further said “This will have meant a lot to people. People will have been proposed to here, they will have held significant family occasions here,” adding, “Some people may have scattered the ashes of loved ones here”.
Calling it a “senseless crime”, the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said, “Sycamore Gap was a place of happy and moving memories for millions of people, and a symbol of home for people around the world.”
The site was blocked off with blue and white police tape, and visitors had been asked to stay away.