A forestry worker sharing the same name as the suspect implicated in the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree has appealed to amateur sleuths to refrain from contacting him after he was inundated with phone calls and messages.
Daniel Graham, 30, who serves as the Duke of Northumberland’s primary hand cutter, humorously remarked that upon hearing his name connected to the crime on the radio, “at first even I thought it was me.”
“Especially because I specialize in cutting down oversized trees, so I was kind of suspected from the beginning,” he shared with The Telegraph. “Obviously there aren’t that many chainsaw operators in the northeast, it’s quite a minor skill.”
On Tuesday, police disclosed that another individual named Daniel Graham, aged 38, along with Adam Carruthers, 31, had been charged with causing criminal damage in relation to the felling of the renowned tree in Northumberland. Both are set to appear in court next month, as stated by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Mr. Graham, hailing from near Alnwick in Northumberland, recounted being immediately bombarded with phone calls and messages on social media from strangers asking if he was responsible for the alleged crime, including some that he described as “quite nasty.” “It has been pretty non-stop,” he remarked. “I have had to put my phone in the cupboard.”
However, Mr. Graham, residing approximately 30 miles from the Sycamore Gap, acknowledged how people might have jumped to conclusions about his involvement, particularly given the apparent expertise with which the tree was felled. “It was quite a tactical cut really, if you’re looking at it as a professional. You can’t really fault it,” he admitted. “I don’t think anyone’s really to blame, it’s just a massive coincidence. And obviously people are very upset about it.”
Expressing concern about potential repercussions for his business in the future, he stated, “It’s quite easy to rectify, but it’s a bit of a hassle.”
Commenting on Tuesday, Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney, the senior investigating officer, urged people “to refrain from speculating, particularly online, which could affect the ongoing case.”
The National Trust, which owns the land where the tree once stood, expressed optimism that the sycamore would endure, following successful efforts by scientists to propagate new life from seeds and cuttings collected from the site.
