Prosecutor says Sycamore Gap tree cutters committed 'arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery'

Britain-Sycamore Gap Tree Cut Down - (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Two men who cut down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree did it for a laugh, a prosecutor said Wednesday as he provided a motive for the first time to explain the senseless crime that shocked Britain.

Richard Wright told jurors in his closing argument that the men charged with criminal damage for the “arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery” had badly misread their audience.