A 16-year-old teenager was arrested this Thursday as the main suspect for "causing criminal damage" following the "deliberate act of vandalism" in relation to the felling of the famous Sycamore Gap Tree in northern England, according to police. Northumbria. The same sources confirmed that the young man is collaborating with the agents in their investigations, but for now no further details have been revealed.
The police arrested the teenager amid a wave of sadness and shock in the United Kingdom over the destruction of this symbol in the early hours of the morning.
This sycamore maple was one of the mandatory stops for any hiker visiting Northumberland National Park. Its location had made it one of the most photographed natural beauties in the country: on a hillside next to the Roman archaeological remains of Hadrian's Wall and the fortress Milecastle 39 (popularly known as Castle Nick), in the county of Northumberland. The availability and uniqueness of the Roman walls "protected the tree for hundreds of years from local sheep," which would otherwise nibble on it, but they have not been able to prevent the deadly cold contact of the metal.
This majestic tree, believed to be around 300 years old, rose to fame when it appeared in a scene in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), starring Kevin Costner. , Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman.
In addition to its presence in the cinema, the tree was named Tree of the Year in 2016 in a competition organized by the Woodland Trust - the largest forest conservation charity in the United Kingdom -, making it a national treasure and a place loved by thousands of people.
Superintendent Kevin Waring, of Northumbria Police, told the English media: "This is a world-renowned landmark and today's actions have caused significant emotional impact, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond. ". An investigation has been opened after this act of vandalism. On the same afternoon this Thursday, the alleged perpetrator of the arboricide was arrested.
"People have spread their ashes there. People have made commitments there. I've picnicked there with my wife and kids. It's part of our collective soul. We must bring whoever did this to justice," said Mayor Jamie Driscoll. North of Tyne, in statements collected by the BBC at the site of the felling.
Despite the insistence of the Northumberland National Park management that no one go near the place so as not to hinder the investigation work, as well as the tasks of the park technicians, many chose to ignore the recommendation, to the point that the The police had to intervene and extend the security perimeter to a hundred meters.
Kim McGuinness, Northumbria's police and crime commissioner, told The Guardian: "This senseless crime has forever damaged an icon in the North East, I think all of us as a region are shocked by what has happened."
"Sycamore Gap no longer exists, some headless idiot seems to have torn it down during the night. What's going on in people's minds?" the owner of one of the best-known pubs in the area, the Crown, tried to argue into the microphones. Inn at Humshaugh.
In this same sense. English thriller author Louise Ross, known by her pseudonym LJRoss, shared with her followers on social media her sadness at the loss of this "iconic and beautiful tree that inspired my second book [Sycamore Gap. The Explosive Sequel (2015) )]". In another message she commented on the reasons for committing such a "crime" and sent a message to the perpetrator. "Whoever is responsible will die a fucking horrible death in my next book. Cretins."
