Two men accused to felling the iconic Sycamore Gap tree set to face trial

Daniel Graham, 38, and Adam Carruthers, 31, both from Cumbria, are alleged to have caused £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and £1,144 to Hadrian's Wall.

They both face two charges of criminal damage, in relation to the tree and wall, which is a world heritage site.

The tree and wall both belong to the National Trust and are places of historic interest or natural beauty.

At Newcastle Crown Court today Carruthers, of Church Street, Wigton, pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Graham, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, did not attend today's hearing but had denied the same charges previously.

Judge Paul Sloan KC said a trial, which may last ten days, will start on December 3 and both men have been granted bail in the meantime.

Judge Sloan said: "I am adjourning your case to trial. As you've heard the trial is now fixed and will commence on December 3 of this year."

The case will be back in court for pre-trial hearings on August 27 and November 5.

The court heard at an earlier hearing the value of the damage was calculated by the CAVAT tool - which stands for Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees.

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The method takes into a number of different factors including the tree's size, type, and the impact on the community.

The tree, which was one of the most photographed in the world and appeared in the 1991 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner, was felled in the early hours of September 28 last year sparking worldwide outrage.

After it was chopped down, workers from the National Trust and the Northumberland National Park Authority were able to recover young seeds from the site.

Conversationists have since confirmed that the saplings are beginning to show shoots of life while they are kept at a secret location.