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Original poster

Anyone else following the Sycamore Gap trial?

112 replies

HowManyMintCLubsIsTooMany · 06/05/2025 19:13

I am baffled as to how these two men do not realise how ludicrous their defences sound despite the obvious evidence against them.

The judge must be exasperated!

OP posts:
CatamaranViper · 09/05/2025 16:03

Pandimoanymum · 09/05/2025 14:01

You should have seen the comments on Graham's facebook business page last week. People clearly wanted to let him know what they thought of him and his handiwork. He's ruined his own business.

What was his business called?

BobbyBiscuits · 09/05/2025 16:12

I just don't understand why anyone would do that? It's not like all their mates would have thought it was some amazingly cool daredevil stunt? It wouldn't make them rich?

They really do seem like a couple of utter mugs. The only plausible explanation could be that they were pissed out of their minds?

GetDressedYouMerryGentlemen · 09/05/2025 16:14

A family member had to fell a large tree in their garden as it was diseased and could have caused damage to property or injury/death to people if it had fallen down. The tree, a non native species, had a TPO on it so they had to replace it with a mature tree, the replacement cost many hundreds of pounds and need 12 people to carry it into place. If you fell a TPO'd tree you own on your own property you have to bare the cost and logistics of replacing it with a suitably mature replacement. The very minimum these clowns should have to do is bare to costs of getting a mature tree into place a mile across moors from the nearest road.

myplace · 09/05/2025 16:15

One of them referenced having to take his name off his work van. It’s obviously made them a target.

I don’t at all approve of people feeling threatened.

However it’s good that the scale of disapproval is being shown. There’s a lot of what @sally037 describes near me- people on off road bikes and quads in the country park, pulling down fences and making a horrible racket in a place people go to enjoy calm.
If it’s criticised, ‘oh kids need to have a bit of fun, not doing any harm…’ etc.
Someone even said it about a fire, FGS.

reesespieces123 · 09/05/2025 16:15

CatamaranViper · 09/05/2025 16:03

What was his business called?

Show quote history

D.M. Graham groundworks.

I'm immensely surprised to see that his business FB page appears to have been taken down. 😂

Icexream · 09/05/2025 16:16

Has anyone established why they did it?

I mean was it just for a "laugh" or did they have some other warped purpose in mind?

Anewdawnanewname · 09/05/2025 16:22

Pandimoanymum · 09/05/2025 14:01

You should have seen the comments on Graham's facebook business page last week. People clearly wanted to let him know what they thought of him and his handiwork. He's ruined his own business.

Oh what’s the business? I’d like to see haha

Charlottejbt · 09/05/2025 16:24

Penko25 · 09/05/2025 15:33

I think it’s all a bit OTT. They haven’t killed someone. It’s a tree. I have some empathy for the older one. His mum walked out on the family. His Dad then hanged himself. He has no friends. I think he needs help & some compassion tbh.

You befriend him then. We've all lost people and suffered setbacks, and we don't then go round looking for landmarks to vandalize. I hope they throw the book at both of them. 😡

CanadianJohn · 09/05/2025 16:26

Does Russia still have gulag-style work camps cutting lumber in Siberia? Sounds like the ideal solution for these two characters. Maybe we could have a prisoner exchange, or something.

Anewdawnanewname · 09/05/2025 16:29

sally037 · 09/05/2025 15:37

I think, in reality, it's the kind of arrogance that comes from there being no repercussions. It happens all the time near me - nice area, low crime, generally affluent. But, there's a group of little shits who go out stealing things - motorbikes, lawn ornaments, signs from businesses... and, no one does a single thing about it.

Now, the police just don't have the time and resources - I somewhat understand that. But, what gets me is the local Facebook page, whenever some posts saying they found a burnt-out bike on their dog walk or they had to remove Tesco trolleys that had been upturned and strewn on the main road or that a bat house for hibernating bats has been burnt to the ground killing all the bats, banging on about "well, we were all young once" and "didn't you ever have any fun"... Like, yes, I had fun as a teen and I never once set someone else's property on fire, never once put someone's life in danger and never told expensive items from strangers - ever. And, if I had, 99.9% of my parent's generation would've absolutely lost it with me and not one would've thought "nah, kids will be kids, let them commit arson".

I have no doubt that these two numpties have been doing this kind of shit for too long, unchallenged and under the guise of "let them have their fun". But, now they've grown up, struck the wrong target and learnt too late that actions have consequences.

I’ve noticed this on local fb too, sometimes it depends on the person posting. One person will post that kids are doing something negative, and people jump in to say let kids be kids, what are you doing watching them etc. Someone else with local popularity can post it and get loads of support.

I get fed up of reading that there’s nothing for kids to do, when there’s loads for them to do that doesn’t result in vandalism. Or to let them have fun - why are we perpetuating the idea that vandalism is fun? Then they grow up to be men like these two idiots felling the tree and thinking that something that is so far from funny is funny. Knobheads.

Mingenious · 09/05/2025 16:31

Penko25 · 09/05/2025 15:33

I think it’s all a bit OTT. They haven’t killed someone. It’s a tree. I have some empathy for the older one. His mum walked out on the family. His Dad then hanged himself. He has no friends. I think he needs help & some compassion tbh.

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. Lots of people have traumatic lives and manage to not spitefully destroy things that give millions of people pleasure.

I hope they throw the book at them, and thankfully it sounds as if they are likely to.

RabbitPlate · 09/05/2025 16:31

I’m going to get lynched for this I just know it, but what pisses me off about this, other than the fact these pricks did this for seemingly no good reason, is the way the media and government are behaving about it, as though the government don’t fell important, ancient, native trees on a regular basis without a second thought. This should open our eyes to the fact that many trees are vital for our environment, for our survival, this tree was iconic and loved by many, but so are loads that the government and councils fell for a variety of selfish reasons. This, to me, is part of a bigger picture. But most people are missing it because they’re focused on this one tree.

Im sad it’s gone. But I’m also said about the hundreds of acres of vitally important ancient woodland that this government and the last have wrecked and continue to wreck, especially under Labour’s new planning bill and about all the nature that people have wrecked to put down their plastic grass or whatever - yet they’re all sad about this tree.

People only seem to care about nature when it suits them.

Mingenious · 09/05/2025 16:33

RabbitPlate · 09/05/2025 16:31

I’m going to get lynched for this I just know it, but what pisses me off about this, other than the fact these pricks did this for seemingly no good reason, is the way the media and government are behaving about it, as though the government don’t fell important, ancient, native trees on a regular basis without a second thought. This should open our eyes to the fact that many trees are vital for our environment, for our survival, this tree was iconic and loved by many, but so are loads that the government and councils fell for a variety of selfish reasons. This, to me, is part of a bigger picture. But most people are missing it because they’re focused on this one tree.

Im sad it’s gone. But I’m also said about the hundreds of acres of vitally important ancient woodland that this government and the last have wrecked and continue to wreck, especially under Labour’s new planning bill and about all the nature that people have wrecked to put down their plastic grass or whatever - yet they’re all sad about this tree.

People only seem to care about nature when it suits them.

Edited

Yes, you’re 100% right here. Look at the vast swathes of land being destroyed for HS2, for an example.

RabbitPlate · 09/05/2025 16:34

Mingenious · 09/05/2025 16:33

Yes, you’re 100% right here. Look at the vast swathes of land being destroyed for HS2, for an example.

Show quote history

Absolutely! That’s ecocide but that’s okay because ‘modernisation’. There are so many examples of this, the Coton orchard for example. But that’s okay, yet they stand up in Parliament and condemn these men. I’m condemning these men too, but the hypocrisy of it is awful.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 09/05/2025 16:35

Penko25 · 09/05/2025 15:33

I think it’s all a bit OTT. They haven’t killed someone. It’s a tree. I have some empathy for the older one. His mum walked out on the family. His Dad then hanged himself. He has no friends. I think he needs help & some compassion tbh.

I'm going to need use of the Large Hadron Collider to have any chance of finding the violin that's currently playing for him. Mind you, he is at least fully aware now that people care more for a tree and a wall than they do for a middle aged man who's just tried to stitch up his best mate.

DiggyDoodad · 09/05/2025 16:36

Viviennemary · 09/05/2025 14:03

I saw it on the news. My what a fuss. Of course it's vandalism and the men should be punished, But talking about devastation amd it's like losing a member of the family. Total madness. It's a tree fgs.

Edited

But it wasn't just any old tree, it was that tree.

ChessorBuckaroo · 09/05/2025 16:38

HowManyMintCLubsIsTooMany · 06/05/2025 19:39

It enrages me

Show quote history

Enraged is precisely how I feel.

It's the sheer spite of what they did. Bastards.

WellDoneThatSupremeCourt · 09/05/2025 16:42

gamerchick · 06/05/2025 19:37

Isn't that the way so they both get off?

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That tactic rarely works. Prosecutors love it when there is a 'cut-throat defence'!

Disturbia81 · 09/05/2025 16:45

Mingenious · 09/05/2025 16:31

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. Lots of people have traumatic lives and manage to not spitefully destroy things that give millions of people pleasure.

I hope they throw the book at them, and thankfully it sounds as if they are likely to.

Show quote history

Exactly this. It’s still a choice to be a cunt.

WellDoneThatSupremeCourt · 09/05/2025 16:45

Penko25 · 09/05/2025 15:33

I think it’s all a bit OTT. They haven’t killed someone. It’s a tree. I have some empathy for the older one. His mum walked out on the family. His Dad then hanged himself. He has no friends. I think he needs help & some compassion tbh.

How was cutting down a beautiful tree which had been around a lot longer than he had, and given far more pleasure to more people than he ever did or ever will, going to compensate for his disappointing family?

ChessorBuckaroo · 09/05/2025 16:46

CanadianJohn · 09/05/2025 16:26

Does Russia still have gulag-style work camps cutting lumber in Siberia? Sounds like the ideal solution for these two characters. Maybe we could have a prisoner exchange, or something.

Love that suggestion.

Lowlife scum need to get their asses handed to them.

timetotwist · 09/05/2025 16:53

Has anyone established why they did it?

Don't think we'll ever understand the warped mindset of these two morons and they are still denying it or trying to lay the blame on the other one. To say they 'lack the finer feelings' doesn't really cover it.
Sometimes news stories/events come along that enrage the majority of caring people. It's not just a tree... it's special, symbolic, spiritual, loved. To target this tree in particular shows a nasty almost sadistic way of thinking and I can't get my head round it. I despise them but not sure if they can be 'educated' IYSWIM.

MrsMappFlint · 09/05/2025 17:01

I think a fair sentence would be this:

That a new tree is planted and they will serve the amount of time it takes for the new tree to grow to the size of the old one.

If someone cuts that new tree down or damages it, then they have to start counting again, while waiting for that replacement to grow,

Pandimoanymum · 09/05/2025 18:54

Anewdawnanewname · 09/05/2025 16:22

Oh what’s the business? I’d like to see haha

Show quote history

D M Graham groundworks, but it's not visible anymore.

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